Vertigo
by et cetera et cetera
Summary: n: a reeling sensation, feeling about to fall. It was assumed that it'd be easy to fall when a superhero partial to catching people was involved. But love is a web that's impartial to letting go, and both damsel and hero found themselves stuck. ClarkOC
1. Ab Ovo

**Disclaimer: **All _Superman_ characters belong to DC Comics and Warner Bros.

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**Chapter I : **_**Ab ovo  
**_

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For Elizabeth Sanders, every morning was an out of body experience, from rising with the early sun to trudging into the shower to managing a grab for a cereal bar from her kitchen counter. Her brain had its habit of sleeping in, or at least until she fueled it with caffeine; thus, every action her body made was purely programmed. If forced to remember the events from six thirty to eight, she would only recall a haze of goose-down softness and a hot spray of water.

Well, that's what her mornings were like ever since she moved to the bustling city of Metropolis a month ago. Even though she moved from Chicago, a city working on short hours of sleep and jumbles of people, she never had to wake up so early. The _Chicago Tribune_ allowed her to go into work at ten at the latest, but the _Daily Planet_ was not so lenient. Elizabeth was a new journalist there, and being a goldfish in a pond of sharks, she didn't have much of a confident composure with all her new colleagues, much less asking for a little bit of morning time. Granted, most welcomed her warmly, but she couldn't help feeling shy every time she walked into the newsroom.

Today was no different. Elizabeth juggled her coffee in one hand and her briefcase and coat in the other as she made her way into the _Daily Planet's_ office. The regular hustle and bustle was stampeding all around her as people herded out the elevators and to their designated places for the day, and she paused as she took everything in, as she did every morning for the past three weeks. The clatter and fast-paced tone of the office was a familiar environment to her, and she's been a veteran journalist for more than five years, so once she stepped into the world of Metropolis and into this newspaper, she had a strong grip on handling things that were thrown her way.

Just like now.

"Sanders!" Perry White's voice bellowed across the whole entire newsroom and Elizabeth blinked as she quickly walked down aisle.

"Yes Chie—Mr. White?" she caught her tongue before she called him by the nickname most everyone used around here. She was still a newbie, so she was sure that she wasn't privileged to be using that name she quickly absorbed into her daily observances her first week.

"You're late! There's a meeting in the boardroom, now! Get in there! You too, Kent!" he shouted before turning around and walking towards the conference room.

Elizabeth frowned and tried to recall a conference meeting being mentioned yesterday. And for the record, she wasn't even late. She glanced at the clock and saw that she was ten minutes early.

"Conference meeting . . .?" she muttered as she turned to drop her things at her cubicle.

But just as she turned to the left somebody was walking by and not aware of her surroundings prior to moving, the arm that held her coffee was whammed into her chest as it collided with the person, sloshing coffee over her blouse.

Elizabeth took a step backwards and held her arms away from her and looked down as both she and the person apologized at the same time.

"I'm sorry."

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looked up at Clark Kent who was hurriedly grabbing a handkerchief from his trousers pocket, looking very bashful. He held the white handkerchief out for her and she smiled as she sidestepped him, throwing her coat and briefcase on her chair and tossing the offending paper coffee cup in the waste bin underneath her desk. She turned to him and took the hankie from him, looking down at the damage done.

Of course, she chose the most expensive silk _white_ blouse she received for her birthday last year to wear today. Of all trivial days, she had to choose this one. She dabbed at her blouse, soaking up most of the liquid, but the stain wasn't going anywhere. She hid her upset, just so Clark wouldn't feel so bad. She had noticed that he was such a quiet but very nice guy, and it seemed that he didn't take things lightly. He _did_ offer her his handkerchief, after all.

Clark was fidgeting as he guiltily watched Elizabeth try to clean up the stain on her nice blouse. "I'm really sorry, Elizabeth. I—I was in such a hurry and I didn't see you turn . . . is there anything I can do? I can go run and buy you some club soda," he stammered and Elizabeth laughed a little, dropping her hand.

"Clark, it's fine. What's another shirt, you know? At least it'll give me incentive to go on a shopping spree," she said and smiled when Clark's lips quirked up just a bit. Since first meeting him the first day of work, she always found him humbly attractive. Especially when he smiled.

"Are you sure?" he asked tentatively and she patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't looking where I was going either so don't put the blame all on you. And there's a meeting and a not so happy boss waiting for us, am I right?"

He nodded and after giving him one more hopefully comforting smile, she turned and walked towards the conference office. She and Clark snuck in quietly while Perry was listing off various stories that needed to be covered that day, but they didn't have much luck in hiding from the attention of Perry or their coworkers.

"Where the hell were you two?" he bellowed and they both flushed as questioning eyes peered at him and her shirt.

Elizabeth recovered enough from her humility rush to open her mouth to try to explain. "I'm sorry, Mr. White. You see—"

"No time for explanations. Anyway, back to what I was saying. Lane, you're going to cover the election and the new Mayor Kilner. Johnson, you cover the new regulations of the transit system. Kent, you go and follow up on the reconstruction of Metropolis." He then looked over at Elizabeth and pointed at her. "Sanders!"

"Mr. White?"

He thought for a moment on what story to give her and Elizabeth waited anxiously. For the few weeks she's been working for this newspaper, she's been subdued to working inside the newsroom and editing articles, and she was excited to finally get a real story she could write.

"As the newest journalist to join the team, I'm giving you the unofficial mascot of Metropolis. You're going to take on Superman." At everyone's shocked silence, Perry continued. "You're going to get an exclusive interview with Superman."

Everyone then turned with wide eyes as they stared at Elizabeth with a high interest and astonishment.

And she knew why.

She glanced around nervously and her embarrassment heightened when she caught the hard stare of Lois Lane, the renowned journalist who knew more about the Man of Steel than anyone else, and who also took on any interview with Superman. Back in Chicago, Superman was of course a treat to write about, but he wasn't on the front cover everyday. He rarely came to her old city and the excitement of watching him save the day was just a fleeting sensation for the new Metropolis resident.

But here in Metropolis, the man was an idol. Before Elizabeth came to work for _The__Daily Planet_, she skimmed through old issues and found that the centering topic was almost always about Superman and his good doings, except for the five-year gap when he supposedly went on a hiatus. As interesting as this hero was, he wasn't number one in her book of people.

During her first week, she learned that any sightings of the Man in Blue were precious material and any saving he did was always recollected. WGBS-TV habitually broadcasted about Superman saving the world yet again, and Elizabeth was awed at how much these people adored their local superhero.

After swallowing the humility of not only being forced into an unknown and mostly untouched territory, but leaving an impression with her soiled shirt, Elizabeth cleared her throat.

"Um, Mr. White?" she asked and everyone kept staring.

"What is it?"

She bit her lip. "Exactly how am I going to go about getting the attention of Superman? Um, can I get his number?"

Laughs erupted around the office at her ridiculous yet innocent question. Even Lois smirked.

Perry shook his head and chuckled. "If you can find out that he actually has a phone, then yes. But I'm afraid that you'll have to seek him out. Ask Lois; she'll know how to call him." He turned his sharp eyes to the quiet woman sitting down. "Lane, I expect you to help Sanders with contacting Superman."

Lois nodded once but her expression was surly, and Elizabeth didn't think that she'd be able to get a civil answer from her.

She raised her hand. "Actually, Mr. White, I don't think that I'm fit to do this interview with Superman."

"Why the hell not?" he barked.

She squeezed the balled up handkerchief in her hand and let out a short breath. "I mean, I'm new here, and I have no experience with Superman _nor_ have I ever covered any incident that he saved. I'm completely clueless about him, other than what I heard about around the office or the news broadcasts."

"So?"

She frowned and shrugged helplessly. "Well, what am I supposed to _say_?" she asked, feeling very small in front of everyone. Great, her first assignment and she already wants to give it up.

Perry shook his head. "That's up to you to decide. And so, this meeting is over. Everyone, get to it! I want your stories by the end of the day!" Everyone started filing out the door. "Sanders!"

Elizabeth stopped and looked back at him, raising her eyebrows.

"I expect you to have your interview done by tomorrow night, and I expect the story the day after."

She nodded and shuffled out of the office and to her cubicle where she found her coat haphazardly sprawled on her chair with her briefcase on top. She placed her coat over the back of her chair and sat down as she rummaged through her briefcase, retrieving a notepad and a pen. She glared down at her blouse and regretted not having an extra pair of clothes. Her first meeting and she made a total fool of herself.

Fifteen minutes later Elizabeth tapped her pen against the blank page of her steno pad, wondering how in the world she was going to get an interview with _the_ Superman. Obviously she couldn't look him up in the phone book, and she couldn't go around asking people if they've seen him around, as she suspected them to direct her towards the sky.

Though there _is_ a way of getting his attention . . .

Elizabeth tinkered with the idea of purposely putting herself in danger and catching Superman's attention. She could hang off the side of the building, or run in front of a speeding car, or maybe attempt at drowning.

She cringed and rolled her eyes. She was no idiot; she would never risk any of those voluntarily, and besides, she was too chicken to even try.

Her eyes roamed around the bullpen and settled on Lois Lane sitting at her desk looking clearly upset. Elizabeth had enough experience that her reporter's eye along with woman's intuition caught on that Lois was upset that she was assigned an interview with Superman. It seemed to her that no one else ever had an interview with him before as they were without being said Lois' territory, and Elizabeth had no choice but to step into it.

She sighed and decided to go ahead and risk getting her head bitten off by Lois rather than getting it bitten off by Perry at the absence of her article.

She straightened her blouse and walked across the floor towards Lois' desk. Upon arriving, the fierce reporter looked up and raised a slim eyebrow, questioning Elizabeth with her hard eyes.

"What do you want?"

Elizabeth bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands, fearing the woman sitting in front of her. "Uh, Lois . . . I—I know that you're upset that I have an interview with Superman—"

Lois interrupted, "I'm not upset."

Elizabeth gave her a cagey glance. "Are you always so frightening in the mornings, then?"

Lois pursed her lips. "I'm having a bad morning, that's all."

"Look, as much as I _know_ I should be jumping up and down at the prospect of talking to Superman, I'm _not_. I mean, of course I appreciate what he does and how much of a good person he is, but it's just that . . . I know you've always interviewed him in the past and now me, a total _novice_ at all this, is doing it. I just . . . I need your _help_, Lois. Please. I really don't want to be fired when Perry sees a blank article come Thursday. It's my first story and already I'm freaking out—God, I can't seem to do things _right_ here." She shut her mouth after her rambling and flushed heatedly knowing that she sounded pitiful.

Much to her surprise and utter horror, Lois Lane laughed. Elizabeth stared at her and waited as Lois covered her mouth with her hand against her giggles. She didn't know if the woman was laughing because she sounded dumb, or she was laughing because she was stupid enough to even ask her. Elizabeth awkwardly stood there, gnawing at her bottom lip.

After a moment, Lois' giggles were completely subsided, but she now had a slight smile on her face.

"I'm sorry for laughing, Elizabeth. And I'm sorry if I came off looking pissed. Yes, I was upset that you were taking on Superman, especially since you've only been here for less than a month, but when you asked for my help, looking so sincere, I can't help feeling sorry for you," she explained and Elizabeth visibly relaxed, a small smile curving her mouth. "I shouldn't have been angry in the first place, anyway. You didn't choose this story and besides, it's not like I have a claim on the guy."

Elizabeth begged to differ. It was obvious that Lois Lane was Superman's personal press secretary for a reason.

She nodded. "Well, it's okay. I'm just glad you're not kicking me to the curb here."

Lois grinned. "Not anymore, I'm not." She laughed and swung her hand out. "So, what is it that you need help with?"

"Firstly, knowing where to find him. I was going through the possible incidents that I could put myself in—he _would_ come after me, right?" she asked skeptically.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Of course. And it'd be suicide if you actually went through with those actions." She then looked askance at Elizabeth. "You're not going to do them, are you?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "No! Most definitely not. But I thought that . . . you know, if he doesn't have a business card, he'd come at an emergency," she said. She was sincerely clueless on going about requesting Superman's presence.

Lois shook her head, smiling at the young and naïve woman. "Superman _does_ hear everything, you know." She shrugged. "You just have to call for him."

Elizabeth's brows furrowed. "Just call out his name? And he'll heed to that beckon? Wouldn't more people misuse that?"

"I'm sure they have. But Superman isn't stupid. You know what, call his name out loudly to get his attention, and add in that Lois Lane told you to call for him. He'll come swooping in."

"Okay. Call out for him. So then what do I say when I actually talk to him?"

Lois looked at her starkly and said, "I'm not going to spoon feed you your interview, Elizabeth. Just ask him whatever you want, but don't make it personal. It's going to be pretty vague, but I'm sure you can manage. I'm fairly certain that _Chicago Tribune's_ once leading journalist can manage her way through a simple interview with the Man of Steel, right?"

Elizabeth let out a puff of air and nodded gravely. "Yeah, she can. Thanks, Lois."

"No problem." Her chair swiveled back towards her desk. "Now I'm going to kick you out of my personal space so I can get back to work."

Elizabeth nodded and turned away, satisfied and relieved to have Lois not harbor any bad feelings towards her. Though she was still unsure about having to scream out Superman's name, at least she didn't have to reconsider for another quick second pushing herself in front of a green traffic light. Now, all she had to do was compile a list of questions she should ask him. It would take her without doubt the whole day for that endeavor.

Elizabeth took a detour going back to her desk and made her way towards the coffee station, still needing that caffeine flow for the day, though she'd opt to have it in her digestive system than on her.

There was a line so her attention strayed to the monitors suspended from one of the many columns around the newsroom and the news that was currently playing, recalling an incident that happened twenty minutes ago. It was no surprise as she saw red and blue zoom across the sky and into a burning house emerging mere seconds afterwards carrying two small children and also what looked to be a bowl filled with water and a goldfish. And then suddenly, the fire was extinguished before the fire trucks even arrived and then the reporters were all trying to get Superman's attention as he sped back off to more saving. Elizabeth smirked at his noble valiancy. _A goldfish, huh?_

Nonetheless, she was no less amazed at how easy it seemed for him to be the hero, never in fear of neither a person's safety nor of his own. However, Elizabeth found in her research that a crystal called kryptonite was the only thing deadly to him. And if she recalled a few months earlier, there were bouts of that very crystal in various parts of Metropolis. She hoped that they were all retrieved.

Still turned toward the television screen, Elizabeth peripherally noticed that the line had decreased, so she turned around to move forward, only to have no luck in doing so without complaint from her grace.

She collided with an arm and the strong scent of fresh coffee under her nose was the only indication that this wasn't going to be a clean collision. As quickly as she ran into the person, she took a quick step backwards and her hands rushed to her mouth as she apologized again, coincidentally along with the other crash victim.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

When the familiar color of the wool sleeve caught her attention, Elizabeth's eyes flew upwards and met with the same blue color as she did earlier. Clark was looking apologetic and amused and she quickly went towards him.

"Oh no! Clark, I'm so sorry! Oh, your vest is stained now! Let me go get some napkins—oh wait, here!" She produced his handkerchief and immediately moved forward to dab at his torso, the act completely skipping the approval of her brain. Once she realized that she intruded in his personal space without permission, she blushed deeply and drew back, giving Clark a wide-eyed look that was not unlike his surprised one.

"God, I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't mean to step up and touch you without asking; I was in a rush and I wasn't thinking and my hand just acted thoughtlessly," she babbled, stopping only when Clark interjected.

"Elizabeth, it's quite all right. It was partly my fault too. I guess we can call ourselves even now?" he asked jovially and Elizabeth smiled gratefully.

"I'm really sorry though. I'm just not paying attention to anything today. Um, here." She held out his handkerchief. "You should use this." Her face was as hot as the sun, she was sure of it. Her embarrassment just wouldn't quit for the day, and it hadn't even cracked 11 yet.

Clark took the cloth from her and held out the coffee, smiling sheepishly. "I was actually getting coffee for you."

Elizabeth blinked. "What?"

"I figured that you didn't have time in the last thirty minutes to grab another coffee, so I thought I'd buy you one, but this one is no good either," he said and shrugged helplessly as he threw the cup in a nearby trash can. "Sorry."

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. "You're too nice, Clark, if someone hasn't already let you know. You really didn't have to do that for me," she said.

Clark pushed his glasses up his nose and grinned. "I'm too nice, remember? And it's no big deal. If you want, I can buy you another one," he offered but Elizabeth held her hand.

"Oh no, I think that coffee is out of the question for me today. But thanks for the offer. And I'm sorry about your vest."

Clark smiled. "That's why I wear it."

Elizabeth laughed. "Your own fashionable bib. I think I should start investing in some."

He laughed and peered down at his vest, transferring most of the liquid onto the already coffee-stained handkerchief. He caught the time on his watch and looked back at Elizabeth. "We should be getting back to work. I have to go about town soon."

"And I have an interview with Superman to prepare." Her sigh belied the cheerful tone of her voice.

He grinned at her. "Good luck with that. Okay, I'll see you later, Elizabeth."

She waved as he started backing up. "See you," she said before turning around herself and walking back to her desk, back to the difficult task awaiting her.

She sat down and picked up her pencil, absently twirling it between her fingers as her mind strayed from Superman and towards a certain tall, blundering and pleasant man. As tall and big as Clark was, his qualities softened his physical image, and Elizabeth fleetingly wondered about his personality. He certainly was one of the friendlier ones around here; however, she did noticed that he would at times leave abruptly during work, sometimes at several intervals during the day. She was curious to know about these mysterious disappearances. She would ask, but Elizabeth also noticed that his flights were hardly noticed by anyone else, so she decided that she shouldn't bother with such information, especially if it didn't concern her in the least.

Still, the charming and humble Clark Kent was someone she vowed to befriend.

Elizabeth didn't realize that she had been staring at him until Clark smiled and waved at her. She blinked and blushed, flashing him her hand before ducking her head away, chiding herself for not concentrating at her job. She told herself to get her head together and proceeded to stare at the notepad for the rest of the morning.

Once her lunch break had come, she threw down her pencil and rubbed her eyes, not pleased with her results so far.

_How is it being a superhero?_

That question was crossed out and another replaced it.

_How does being a superhero fare for you?_

"Geez, I can do better than this," she muttered before standing and pulling on her coat. She didn't see what was so difficult about coming up with questions for Superman. Questions should be simple and succinct when it comes to superheroes. The vagueness of the topic should have been an easy enough start for Elizabeth, but for some reason she couldn't come up with anything that would seem interesting enough to write about, at least things that haven't already been said.

When Elizabeth returned from her break she was less inspired and shoved the notepad to the side of her desk. She ended up skimming through archived articles about him on the system's database and got down the things that she _shouldn't_ ask him about. Though it didn't help her generate five pages' worth of interesting questions, it helped narrow down to a decent starting point. She spent the rest of her workday researching past articles and hoped that at her apartment she would have a spurt of motivation.

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She arrived at work the next morning with a bad turnout and in an even worse mood. As soon as she got home she tried to fill her head with all things Superman as she attempted to peak her curiosity for him. But for the life of her she couldn't get more than five questions down, and it was a dwelling burden on her mind.

Once she approached her desk with a metaphorical rain cloud following close by her, she noticed an unfamiliar box sitting on top of her desk with her name neatly written on the front. She looked around to see if anyone in the office decided to give her a late welcome present, but no one seemed to be interested in her visual interrogation. Curious and confused, Elizabeth unceremoniously threw her items on her chair and carefully pulled the top cover out, a laugh promptly erupting from her mouth.

Sitting on her desk was a brand new silk blouse, courtesy of a Mr. Clark Kent.


	2. Inquiry

**Disclaimer**: Standard rules apply.

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**Chapter II : _Inquiry  
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Elizabeth placed the cup of coffee along with a cheese streusel danish on Clark's desk, smiling as he jumped slightly at the intrusion. She clasped her hands in front of her and waited until he leaned back to look at her curiously.

"Do you always give your coworkers new articles of clothing as gifts?" she asked without bothering to give him a greeting. Clark had entered the office almost an hour ago and Elizabeth waited this long to confront him.

He smiled a little. "Only the ones whom I accidentally cause to spill their coffee on themselves," he replied.

Elizabeth laughed and leaned sideways against his desk. "Does that happen a lot?"

Clark fumbled with his pen and ended up dropping it on the floor. "I'm a clumsy guy."

She picked it up for him and grinned as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well, I came by to say thank you for the new shirt. Though, Clark, I told you to not worry about it. That was overly generous of you when you've only known me for less than a month."

He flushed and smiled at her. "I noticed that it was a nice blouse, and it must've cost you quite some money to pay for it."

"Assuming that I did the spending. I got it as a gift, so it wasn't my money." She gave Clark a hard glance. "You shouldn't have spent money on me, Clark."

He shrugged, his smile begging her to keep her plea of refunding. "I don't mind, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth fidgeted with his pen, unscrewing the cap and screwing it back on. She was flattered that he thought so much as to repay her for the shirt, but she felt bad for not thinking about even paying back for his vest.

"Well, um, the coffee and danish are to keep you at bay until I can get you a new vest."

Clark shook his head. "Elizabeth, don't worry about my clothes. It's nothing that a little washing won't remove. Your stain will most likely remain, so your shirt is worth more than my vest. And I appreciate the coffee and danish, thanks."

Elizabeth bit her lip and tapped the pen against her palm. "Clark, this just makes me feel so _bad_. Like I'm accepting something I know I shouldn't, but you're one of those people who won't take no for an answer, aren't you?"

His half-smile was eluding, yet attractive at the same time. "In a way."

She sighed, defeated. "Well, there _must_ be some way I can pay you back. I can't think of anything right now that doesn't have to do with Superman, but when I do, you're going to accept it."

He laughed. "Alright. Seems that you're the kind of girl who doesn't take no for an answer, either, huh?"

"Yes I am."

Clark took a sip of the coffee and cleared his throat. "So uh, you have Superman on your mind?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. "Only because of the interview."

"How's that coming?"

She grimaced, thinking about the meager amount of questions and notes she's amounted in a day's time. "Horrible. I mean, you'd think that having an interview with _Superman_ of all people would be easy, but for some reason, this is the hardest interview I've had to prepare for," she complained, gesturing with her arms.

"It can't be _that_ bad."

Elizabeth scoffed. "But it _is_. I don't know what to ask him. I can't come up with questions that are impersonal without being boring but I'm not sure if I can even ask him personal questions. I mean, superheroes don't really care to have reporters pry into their lives, right? Not that you'd know or anything, but I'm sure _nobody_ wants reporters in their faces all the time."

Clark raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth and stifled his grin. "How about you just forget about writing down questions and when you get him for the interview, you just _talk_."

Elizabeth looked at him questioningly. "Clark, that defeats the whole purpose of being an interview."

"Not if you can't come up with questions for it," he countered. "I'm sure Superman won't mind if you don't have a formal interview set up. Wouldn't it be more comfortable if you had a conversation with him? Maybe you don't have to write about an _interview_. You can just write about a _chat_."

She narrowed her eyes speculatively at him. "Have you _met_ Superman before?"

Clark hesitated before answering, "Yes."

"So you're positive he won't mind if we just _talk_? Doesn't he have duties to the world? Maybe he won't want to waste his time talking with me." Elizabeth frowned and bit her lip.

"Elizabeth, don't worry about that. Superman's not aloof."

Somehow, that reassurance made Elizabeth realize that she didn't have much to lose in this casual interview. Hopefully, Superman is as nice as he's made out to be.

She laughed. "I'm going crazy over this, aren't I?"

"Just a little."

She looked at her watch and placed Clark's pen back on his desk, smiling down at him. "Thanks Clark. I'll let you get back to work."

He nodded and watched her skim a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Thanks for dropping by with breakfast."

"My pleasure. And don't forget, I'm going to think of something!" she said, waggling her finger at him as she turned back to return to her cubicle.

* * *

Elizabeth scribbled on the copy of Susan's article with a red pen and after skimming a few more paragraphs, adding various notes and crossing things out, she returned to her computer screen and continued reading the _Planet's_ first article on Superman. She found herself now immersed with factoids and the various sightings that have accumulated about him over the years, and surprisingly, Elizabeth was hooked. Not worried about compiling strict questions for him, she decided to forgo that whole task and delved on information about Superman, taking random notes where her non-existent questions should be.

But not wanting to seem like just another floozy fan, Elizabeth also took on editing her coworkers' articles, just to fill her attentiveness with phrases lacking in the word _Superman_.

Being the almost managing editor of the _Chicago Tribune_, Elizabeth was grammar savvy and completed Susan's five-page article in eight minutes, not to mention that it was her tenth article to revise and edit, and it was barely twelve thirty. She stuck her pen behind her ear and continued to peruse through the collective articles of the Man in Steel.

She bothered to read with the stories with facts about him, and not the trivial and countless ones of his save-of-the-day. After picking through the database, she came across Lois Lane's "I Spent the Night with Superman", and shortly after she read the Pulitzer Prize winning article, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". She was further enlightened with the actual relationship between the two and her hunches were saturated with the feeling that Superman and Lois Lane had more romantic secrets than their professional relationship displayed. Elizabeth's reporter curiosity was overriding her writer consideration and she wanted to inquire into that issue, but as a woman with romantic values and a respect for personal boundaries, she pushed the thought down.

She now had numerous pages of articles collected on her monitor and was engrossed in them that she failed to hear the approach of someone at her desk.

"You like Superman, too?" the tiny voice asked and Elizabeth jumped in her seat, putting a hand to her heart as she quickly swiveled around.

A little boy who looked to be around five or six was standing at her side, peering curiously up at her. She assumed him to be Lois' son, as she noticed the picture sitting on the reporter's desk. Quickly calming her erratic heartbeat, she gave him a friendly smile.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Do you?"

He nodded his tousled head of hair. "He's my favorite superhero of all time! He even saved my mommy and daddy and me from drowning," he told her, bobbing his head excitedly.

Elizabeth grinned. "Well now, that's amazing!" She bent a little in her seat and held out her hand. "I'm Elizabeth."

His smile was charming as he tentatively placed his small hand in hers. "My name's Jason."

"It's very nice to meet you Jason. You get to stay here while your mommy and daddy work, huh?"

He nodded and clutched the straps of his book bag. "Only when they both have to work late. But today I got to get out of school early!"

"That's good."

Jason looked around her cubicle and took notice of her sparse walls while Elizabeth took notice of how bright blue his eyes were.

"Can I draw a picture of Superman for you, Miss Elizabeth, so you can put it on your wall?" he asked.

She smiled down at him and nodded. "I would like that very much, Jason." She pretended to think a little and creased her forehead. "Say, does your mommy allow you to eat candy, Jason?"

He bit his lip as his face pulled a concentrated look, nodding afterwards. "As long as it's not chocolate, then yes."

"Well then, you're in luck today," she said as she turned to one of the drawers and opened it, pulling a lollipop from her small basket of emergency candy. She held it out to him. "'Cause I have a big lollipop that has your name on it. Do you like cherry?"

Jason smiled a toothy grin as he took it from her. "Wow, thanks Miss Elizabeth! You're nicer than all the other people here, just like Mister Clark, 'cause he sometimes lets me draw pictures on his desk when mommy and daddy are busy. But _he_ never gave me candy before."

_Mister Clark, eh? _Elizabeth made a note to inquire about Clark's babysitting habits.

Elizabeth shut her drawer and ruffled his hair. "You are very welcome, Jason."

"Jason! There you are!" Lois rushed across the bullpen to the cubicle and knelt down in front of her son, giving him a brusque hug before pulling back and looking at him sternly. "Sweetie, what did I tell you about wandering around the office without telling me or daddy? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

His guilt-laden face was his first expression, soon replaced by a bright smile as he held out the candy for his mother to see. "Miss Elizabeth gave me a lollipop!"

Lois straightened and looked at Elizabeth for the first time who was smiling uncertainly. "She did, did she? That's nice of her. Did you remember say 'thank you'?"

He nodded. "And she likes Superman too – she has his pictures all over her computer!" He emphasized his point by pointing behind Elizabeth at her monitor.

Lois followed the direction of his finger and raised an eyebrow at the blushing journalist. "Doing a little research?"

Elizabeth laughed lightly. "This interview with Superman has got me wrapped up with everything that has to do with him." She shook her head and waved at the screen. "I've been skimming through past articles, seeing if I can get a good stand-point for my interview."

Lois nodded, though Elizabeth noticed a slight change in Lois' eyes when her eye caught her own infamous article displayed on the screen. After a few seconds, Lois looked back at her and smiled. "Thanks for not pushing Jason away. He tends to get in people's way and not everyone here has a soft spot for kids, much less candy."

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't mind. I've had plenty of experience with young children, so I've got plenty of soft spots in my heart for them," she explained.

Lois nodded and checked her watch. "Well, you've still got plenty of work to do, I'm sure, and I do as well so I'm going to drag Jason back with me."

She nodded and smiled at Jason. "Bye Jason, it was nice meeting you! And you're welcome to stop by anytime as long as you have your mom's permission, okay? I'm going to be waiting for that picture!" she told him and he nodded, smiling at her with his mouth full of cherry flavored lollipop as his mom led him to his father's office.

Elizabeth spun back around and after one last skim, exited out of the multiple pages of articles and spent the rest of the day alternating between editing and scribbling random questions.

* * *

Coming back to the newsroom from her lunch break, Elizabeth had a copy of the daily sports highlight in her hand as she walked to her cubicle. She glanced up from the paper and catching sight of Clark and Jimmy talking at the photocopier, she walked towards them, chastely interrupting their conversation.

"Hey Jimmy, does rebuttal have two t's and an 'a' or 'e'?"

"Two t's and an 'a'."

She grinned and corrected the word on the paper. "Thanks. Oh, and a quick question; do you guys think Superman would drink alcohol?"

They looked at her crossly and she waved her hands out, pen and paper flailing. "I mean, what do you think he drinks on his leisure time? Surely he must have working taste buds, so he _should_ have a beverage preference, right?"

Jimmy nodded with wide eyes while Clark smiled at her, clearly amused.

"Um, actually, that's a fact not known to the world," Jimmy told her and shrugged as he retrieved his copies. "But if you were to ask me-"

"I did," she interjected.

Jimmy ignored her and continued, "I would say that Superman's a wheat-grass-with-raw-eggs shake kind of guy."

Both she and Clark gave him incredulous and disgusted looks. He looked at them pointedly and prepared to leave. "Well, you _asked_ me."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks for your opinion, Jimmy. I'll be sure to ask him."

After Jimmy left, there was a pause as Elizabeth watched Clark copy some documents before she asked him, "So Clark, what do _you_ think Superman drinks?"

He stood there with one of his hands in his trousers' pocket and a contemplative look on his face. "Well," he said as he pushed the 'Scan' button, "I certainly don't think he drinks a wheat grass and raw eggs shake."

Elizabeth laughed and made a face. "I don't think anyone who's not a body builder _would_."

"I think that Superman's either a tea or coffee drinking kind of guy," he said after a while and Elizabeth pondered on that thought.

"So no alcohol, right? I mean, I'm not saying that he _should_, because I think that no one really should, but I was just curious as to what Superman eats and drinks, and if he would perchance drink a martini if given one." Her eyes widened as a new thought struck her. She pointed the pen at Clark. "Or wait. Seeing that Superman is from another _planet_ and is technically an _alien_, maybe his digestive tract is not of normal human make-up and he doesn't even _have_ an appetite. Maybe he eats metal and puts the truth behind 'Man of _Steel_'."

There were a few seconds of silence before Clark laughed uproariously, causing Elizabeth to blush.

"Elizabeth, Superman may hail from a different planet, but he _is_ a man, after all. I'm sure he has traits such as a _man_ would have, like having a regular diet and appetite."

She bit her lip, slowly nodding. "Hmm, okay. But you have to give me credit for even wondering; it says that I'm actually going somewhere with this interview."

"Been doing your research, have you?" he asked.

"Well, I needed some background on the guy before I start shooting questions at him. SRP, Clark." She gave him a sharp look, as if to reprimand him.

He looked confused. "SRP?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Standard Reporting Procedures."

Clark nodded and smiled widely. "So you've been researching him? You honestly had no previous information that you already _knew_ about him?"

Elizabeth shrugged sheepishly. "Only the absolute basics, like um, he can fly and has super strength. Back in Chicago I never had to do anything dealing with Superman, and any news on him was always in the 'In Other News' compartment. So basically I've been listening to hearsay about him my whole entire life. If by chance he ever came to Chicago, I was completely swamped with other issues. There were always other things thrown my way anyway, so I had a one-track mind."

"So you've never enlightened yourself with information about him? Such details like whether or not metal was included in his daily diet?"

Elizabeth scowled as he tried to stop his chuckles. "Honestly Clark, I never thought about him during my time at _Chicago Tribune_. But that's not to say that I completely disregarded him, because whenever his name happened to sweep into the newsroom after saving an entire country from drowning, or something worldly of the sort, I was always amazed at what people had to say about him. And he really did impress me. But I never stuck around to listen to the great detail on what he did, or who he was. Does that make me a bad person if I don't hold Superman close to my heart?" she asked and Clark shook his head with wide eyes.

"No, Elizabeth! It doesn't make you a bad person in the least. Truthfully, I think it makes you a bit better that you don't have such high expectations of him, unlike almost everyone in Metropolis."

"He _does_ have a very noble character, and I appreciate him for that. So I guess this'll make for an interesting interview, huh? All things Superman coming to me in one day." She grinned up at Clark. "You know Clark, I'm actually excited about the interview! Wow, can you believe?"

He chuckled and tapped the stack of papers on the copier. "I can. And I'm glad you have a direction for the interview."

She nodded and noticed that she had the article still unedited in her hand. "Me too. Sorry for keeping you at the copier, Clark."

He smiled. "I don't mind. Keeps work at bay."

Elizabeth laughed and waved the paper in her hand. "Which is regrettably calling for me to return to." She grinned at him. "Thanks for your input. You're very nifty with Superman facts, Clark, did you know?"

He flushed and Elizabeth bit her lip to refrain from breaking into a broad smile at being able to make Clark flustered without any embarrassing incident involved.

"Oh, well…thank you."

Before she turned to go, she bit her lip thoughtfully. "And I think Superman's more of a tea guy than a coffee one," she said with a slight smile. "See you later, Clark."

He waved as she returned to her desk, still dressed in her overcoat.

"He's definitely a tea guy," he muttered before collecting all his papers and shuffling towards his own desk.


	3. Stagger

**Disclaimer: **Standard rules apply.**  
**

* * *

**Chapter III : _Stagger  
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* * *

Elizabeth sighed as she paced the tiny length of her living room, alternating between chewing on the edge of her finger and pulling at her hair. When she came home that afternoon she told herself that she would get this interview over and done with, yet it was now seven and four hours after her declaration.

She was scared out of her wits of meeting him. As excited as she was about the whole interview, the thought of actually being _that_ close to Superman was frightening. She's been trying to work out the frigid nerves knotting in her stomach for the past four hours.

When she glanced out her balcony doors at the waning sun, she groaned and smacked her forehead. "Good God, Elizabeth. Get a grip!"

After a final and deciding debate, she walked out onto her large balcony and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. She leaned back against the iron railing and stuffed her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt as the temperature begun to contrast against the comfortable seventy five degrees inside her apartment.

She looked at the sun as it started to hide behind the globe sitting on top of the _Daily Planet's_ roof, which she heard had collapsed once, saved by none other than Superman. She sighed and tried not to think about the enormity of the fact of her meeting someone so _great_ and so extraordinary.

Elizabeth looked down at the small patio table where her tape recorder and steno pad sat and frowned.

She looked around at the neighboring balconies and seeing that no one making use of them at the moment, she looked back towards the sun and inhaled deeply.

"Superman," she called out before clearing her throat and standing straighter. "Superman," she said again, louder. "I hope you can hear me because I'm really not willing to go about hollering your name on my balcony, further humiliating myself."

After a minute of waiting she scowled and hoped the brick walls were as thick as she hoped them to be. "Super—"

The first thing she noticed in that next millisecond was a sough of air contrasting against the stillness of the evening and when she blinked she was staring at a red and yellow 'S' insignia.

"How . . . ?"

She raised her eyes and found herself staring at bright blue eyes, a smile in them that echoed the one settled on their owner's mouth.

"You called?" his deep baritone voice asked and all Elizabeth could do in that next five seconds was gape at him like a fish while she gathered her wits that were long lost before he even came.

"You sure make an entrance," she muttered, quickly looking him over.

He stood there on the opposite side of her balcony, hands on his hips and a small smile placed on his lips. His stature was very tall and regal looking, stretching his 6 foot something self up even higher. Elizabeth, who barely reached 5'5, had to crane her neck up to look at him.

But it was his eyes that were most appealed to Elizabeth. For some reason, those sapphire-blues looked familiar as they peered curiously down at her.

"I didn't want you to suffer in humiliation," he said and she flushed.

After a few moments she grinned and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Superman. My name is Elizabeth Sanders and I'm afraid I'm not in much danger other than my waning confidence; I'm a reporter for the _Daily Planet_." She watched his face to see any annoyance or any sign of another abrupt and undetected flight.

Instead, he took hold of her hand and with a gentleness that contradicted his physical appearance, shook it. His smile was still in place. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Sanders."

She pulled her hand back, giving him a serious look. "Elizabeth. Please call me Elizabeth."

He nodded. "Elizabeth it is, then. And you mentioned that you're a reporter?"

She bit her lip and nodded, gauging his reaction for that annoyance she's been anticipating. "But before we start anything professional, can I ask a quick question off the record?"

Superman smiled and nodded. "You're the reporter."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and peered curiously at him. "Why _exactly_ did you come when I called? I mean, surely you only heed to cries of help, right? Saving me from my own humiliation is a far cry for any_ real_ help, so I'm intrigued to know why you came so willingly."

He chuckled and mimicked Elizabeth's actions, leaning his stealthy body against the railing. "Would you believe it if I told you that there are times when no one is crying out for help?"

She tilted her head slightly. "No. But that's because I believe that the world is never at rest with itself. Though, since you can actually _hear_ the world, it's a possibility that you're right." She exhaled and looked down at the puff of air she emitted. "Can I ask another question?"

He nodded.

"You don't mind that I'm not Lois Lane?" she asked softly with her eyes still downcast, but she was sure that the volume of her voice wasn't a problem for him.

Superman's eyes widened slightly in alarm and he looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

She looked up at him. "I was aware that in the past, Lois Lane was the only one who was able to get an interview with you, and it made you seem a bit unreachable. And now that you know what my intentions are, I'm wondering why you're still standing there."

He regarded her carefully before stepping closer. "I wouldn't refuse you if your intentions are good. I not only have a good ear, but a good mind as well, Elizabeth, and it's not hard to tell who's sincere and who's not."

She stared at him with a small smile. "Well. That's good to know that you think my intentions are good."

"_You_ don't?" he asked and she laughed.

"Do you have any idea how incredibly nervous I am at the moment? Meeting you is probably more important than meeting the president to most people and here you are telling me that you think I have _good_ intentions when there's probably other people who need you more than I do."

He smiled gently and patiently. "Elizabeth, you have to give yourself credit. I'm not going to bite your head off," he reassured and she pursed her lips, kicking herself inwardly. The last thing she needed was for Superman to see her act like a total maniac.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm new to all of this: new to Metropolis; new to the _Daily Planet_; goodness, I'm new to the whole concept of_ you _within earshot—literally. My nerves are a bit frazzled, so you're going to have to be a bit patient."

"Take your time," he told her and Elizabeth _did_ take her time.

She stood there leaning against the railing and took her time to calm her heart, get her head together, and to just _look_ at Superman. She's seen pictures, of course, but there was always that satisfying feeling of seeing everything as they were.

Superman was . . . to say the least, handsome. Elizabeth took notice of how his features gave him much more of a personality than his actions could describe. And now that she was face-to-face with the Man of Steel, she knew why so many women held him close to their hearts.

He wasn't looking at her that whole time—no, Elizabeth would have blushed herself into vapor if he had been—but was looking out towards the city as a king would upon his kingdom.

Elizabeth glanced down and from their high vantage—she lived on the eleventh floor of her apartment building—the people and cars were small fragments of the big, live city map. But she knew the man standing four feet away from her could see everything clearly.

She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. Superman beat her to it.

"It's hard sometimes, having the world constantly on your shoulders," he suddenly said, surprising Elizabeth more with his words than his voice.

She looked at him and found him leaning his forearms on the railing, his body bent and his eyes still watching Metropolis. "I would imagine so. Have you ever felt that everything weighed so heavily against you and all you wanted to do was stop and let it drop? I mean, it must be difficult with people's lives at your hands."

He sighed and shook his head. "You have no idea, Elizabeth. But at those times, you realize how much you care about all those people and that big world and you have no choice but to pull through."

She turned to him and smiled fondly, a new found admiration for him sweeping through her previous skepticism. "You're really selfless, you know that? I've only been living in Metropolis for a month but when I first came to this city, all I heard were people talking about you, going on and on about how wonderful and how helpful you are to them and their beloved city. But coming from a slightly unbiased person with no prior 'Superman' experience, you know what I think?"

His face turned towards her and he gazed at her thoughtfully. "What's that?" he asked.

Elizabeth smiled sadly. "I think these people tend to believe that you're their personal safety blanket, and that they take your compassion and generosity for granted at times without any regard to_ your_ needs. After all, you're not a robot and I'm sure all superheroes need a break sometimes," she told him, flashing him a grin.

Superman smiled at her. "It's nice hearing a second opinion without the disappointment of it being a criticism. Thank you."

She shrugged and squinted against the glare of the orange sun. "You're welcome. It's nice knowing that you're a pretty decent guy," she replied, grinning roguishly at him.

He chuckled. "Glad to have your approval."

She sighed and realized that she hadn't even started her 'interview' with him yet. "Is it unprofessional of me that I don't have a formal interview set up for you?"

"What do you mean?"

She twisted the cuffs of her sweater and flushed. "Well, you should know that I wasn't the one who choose to have an interview with you—no offense."

He smirked. "None taken."

"Since I am the newest journalist to the _Planet_, my boss decided to bestow upon me with the vaguest of all topics to write about."

"And I'm assuming that's me."

Elizabeth smiled and shrugged. "Yeah. So there I was, freaking my mind over because I was utterly clueless about what to ask a superhero—what_ do_ you ask superheroes?" He raised his brows at her rhetorical question. "Well, I didn't know so all yesterday I just stared at my notepad, wishing the questions to write themselves."

"You were thinking too hard about this," he said and Elizabeth laughed.

"I was. But then I talked to a coworker of mine about the difficulty of finding questions, and he suggested for me to just _talk_ to you. To forgo all questions and, I don't know, get to know you?" She glanced at him.

"Are you asking if I would mind just _talking_ to you?"

"Yes. You don't think that I'd be wasting your time? You are a busy man."

He laughed and shook his head. "Hardly."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "You're not this personal with other reporters, are you?"

"I haven't had many interviews, but no, I'm not always personal with them. Though I trust that you'll keep your article professional," he told her, and Elizabeth laughed in surprise.

"And yet you don't mind being forthright with me." She peered at him cautiously. "I think you have some trust issues, Superman."

He chuckled and stood straight. "Maybe. But am I right about my hunch at trusting _you_?"

She held up her hand. "Scout's honor. You don't have to worry about me blackmailing you with anything that might accidentally come out of your mouth that would reveal rare facts about you."

Superman laughed. "I don't trust you _that_ much to allow something like that to happen."

"Well, just in case."

He was about to answer but suddenly stopped and stilled his body, his face now alert. Elizabeth dropped her smile and looked at him with worried eyes. She was also a bit disappointed that their interview would end before it even began. And she was just starting to like him, too.

"What's wrong? Is someone calling for help?"

Superman looked at her and tilted his head slightly. "Are you cooking something?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she realized that she had the stove on. "Oh my God! The water!" She rushed into the apartment and into her kitchen where her fire alarm was beeping as smoke filled the room. She quickly turned off the stove, fanning the smoke with a nearby newspaper.

Once the smoke was cleared away and the fire alarm stopped beeping, she dropped the newspaper on the counter and looked dejectedly at the pot of water on the stove.

"You burnt water?" Superman asked from behind her and Elizabeth whirled around, scowling at his suppressed smile.

"Apparently, yes. You can't blame me; I was talking to you on my balcony," she said, examining the amount of water left in the pot.

"I apologize for the distraction."

"Don't be sorry; you saved my house from burning so, thank you." She turned to him and smiled. "Well, now that the water is heated and my kitchen is still in tact, would you care for tea or coffee?"

Superman smiled at her. "Tea would be fine."

Elizabeth laughed as she went through the cabinet above her head, taking two mugs out. "I pegged you for a tea-drinking kind of guy. I don't know why, but you seemed like someone who'd drink something soothing like that, and not something strong like coffee, despite your physicality."

"I've been around the world, and I've tried many different things, but it always comes down to just a nice warm mug of tea."

She put the tea bags in the mugs and filled them with water, handing him one along with a teaspoon. "Um, if you'd like, you can have a seat at the counter, or we can sit outside on the balcony," she said. She smiled at the thought of Superman sitting in her tiny kitchen with a cup of tea in his hand. It was uncanny as it is having him in her _apartment_.

"Wherever you'd like, Elizabeth. I don't wish to impose myself in your home."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shook her spoon, aiming it towards him. "There's no need to be humble, Superman. You go into people's houses every time you save them; if that's not enough imposition, then I don't know what is," she said, raising a brow at him.

Superman gave her an amused look. "Though I do believe that their cry for help is a legitimate invite."

She laughed and led him out of her kitchen. "I suppose. The balcony it is."

Once outside, the sun was now halfway to its endpoint, streaking the sky with a purple-red hue as stars softly blinked into existence from underneath the clouds. Elizabeth set her mug down and waved a hand toward a chair.

"You can have a seat if you want."

Superman shook his head and smiled. "I'm alright, thank you."

Elizabeth pressed the 'record' button on her tape-recorder and picked her mug up as she leaned against the railing. "Shall we start?"

Superman leaned against the railing adjacent to hers. "Talk away."

Elizabeth didn't hesitate asking her first question, "Do you enjoy being a hero?"

"I was sent to this world to protect its inhabitants, and I have a great satisfaction when I help keep them alive and safe."

She looked at him above the rim of the porcelain mug. "You have to live among us, don't you?"

He nodded.

"And you're as much of a man as the next," she stated, realizing that he wasn't just a superhero, but a person having a great duty to the world.

Superman smiled faintly. "I am."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "Do you _wear_ that suit all the time?"

"I do. It'd be a hassle if I have to keep changing each time I went off to save another person."

She set her mug down on the table and crossed her arms. "Do you live your life as a superhero even when you're not out saving the world?" She paused and spoke again before he answered her. "You're a man who lives his life on Earth, so that must mean you need similar amenities as humans do. Surely you don't sit in restaurants or go grocery shopping dressed like that, right?"

He stood there for a few seconds, looking at her with his blue eyes shining in the orange light. She was worried that she had went a bit too far too soon. When he spoke, he had surprise in his tone. "You seem to understand better than the rest," he told her quietly.

Elizabeth smiled softly and shrugged. "I just see it how it is. Maybe it's because I see you and who you are as if I'm seeing the bigger picture. You said so yourself that there are times when people _aren't_ in need of help. It's understandable that you just want to _live_ and be a _person_ those times."

He opened his mouth but closed it, opening it again after a moment. "It's . . . impossible for me to be open with people. I have a big responsibility of not only showing my face in times of need, but hiding it from that same world."

Elizabeth huffed a soft bout of air as she studied Superman. She now understood that there was more to him than just his superpowers.

"There's a whole different side to you. You're just another person living his life in Metropolis who happens to be the protector of the world. You have your secrets hidden in that cape of yours, don't you?"

He was still looking at her in silent awe at her unabashed accusations, and Elizabeth's face flushed when she realized that she must have said things that shouldn't have been said; that she revealed more about him that he didn't wish to be discovered.

She bit her lip and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, I said too much. I tend to over analyze things when I get into serious conversations. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable in the least, Superman, and I apologize for saying all those things and for invading your privacy." She looked away and cursed herself for getting carried away with actual _talking_. It was very unprofessional of her to intrude in his life like she had.

"Elizabeth," he said and she raised her eyes to find his boring into hers. There was a strong gleam shining in those blues and she couldn't tell if he was angry or not. The way he was looking at her was disconcerting, and she wanted to kick herself with the same foot she had stuck in her mouth.

"You're a very perceptive person," he told her after a minute and she stared at him in confusion, wondering where the compliment derived from. Superman had moved closer to her until they were now two feet apart, his brows still drawn together and the slim line on his mouth hard.

Elizabeth cursorily noticed how well structured his jaw was, only to scold herself for thinking about such a thing while he was still looking at her intently.

She frowned and the corners of her mouth turned downwards. "Too much at that," she muttered, looking away.

"No, it allows you to see something that others can't. You can see the truths."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Which is why I'm a reporter."

"It's in your nature to pick at things, getting at bottom of stories and to do that you have to get all the facts you can get. You look at things with a very observant eye, whether it's seeing something that's there or not. And I am just another story for you to find details on."

"But?"

He looked away from her, focusing his gaze again on the now illuminated city. "There are things that aren't supposed to be uncovered. I _do_ have secrets that I work so hard to keep hidden from the world. Everyone has things that aren't for the world to know."

"Superman," Elizabeth quietly interjected, looking up at his face in earnest. "I wasn't going to pry you for details about your private life. I wasn't even planning for this_ talk_ to get like this; I had no right getting into your personal life like that. I respect that you need to keep yourself distanced from the world, because no one should ever be under scrutiny of the billions of eyes like that."

"No one ever questioned me about my life when I'm not out saving the world; they all just assume that I'm always in plain view, waiting around for cries of help. It's just surprising hearing someone tell me that I'm just a _man_. I never expected anyone to look beyond my call of duty," he said, turning back around to face Elizabeth with his expression now eased into a relaxed guise.

"Is it weird, knowing that a complete stranger knows, or rather, _sees_ you're more than just a superhero?" she asked. She tilted her head and looked thoughtfully at him, trying to picture how it would be like for Superman who's always kept his lives separate. But she understood his need for secrecy, as she held some of her own as well.

He shrugged lightly and smiled at her. "It's . . . strange when someone knows you have a completely different life without knowing who you really are. Does it make you curious in the least to know the man I am?"

Elizabeth laughed and nodded. "Well, of course. But that's all personal, and I don't want you risking anything. I wouldn't dare compromise your personal life by broadcasting to the city that you're just another John Doe wearing a red and blue suit underneath his clothes. I think that they like to think of you as a separate entity, to keep things simple. Superman is all they know, and that's enough for them."

He sighed and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Elizabeth, for being so accepting and understanding."

She quirked her mouth and flushed at the giddiness of the fact that she was holding a vague secret of his. Or, seeing someone there that no one else seemed to realize co-existed.

"It's no problem. And don't worry, I won't be lifting men's shirts up around Metropolis seeing if they're you. But I wonder something." She peered at him closely. "Are you_ Superman_ when you're not dressed as him? I mean, I would assume that it would be easy to pick you out among the crowd if you looked like you if you're just wearing an overcoat on over your suit."

He returned her gaze. "Along with my secret, I wear a mask."

She nodded and smiled softly, knowing that she's already involuntarily crossed the line tonight and to tread even further would be prodding around in unmarked territory.

"I like you, Superman," she finally said, flashing him a bright smile. "You're a really gallant guy—not the kind of superhero who's ego is as big as his strength—and to me, first impressions are everything. What I mean to say is . . . you really_ are_ worth all the talk I hear up and down the street."

He smiled at her. "Thank you for your approval . . . again."

She looked up at the dark sky with only a handful of stars freckling the vast and airy canvas. Superman followed her gaze and they stood there looking up at the sky for a short while, the former thinking about how beautiful space looked and the latter thinking about how different it looked from Earth.

Elizabeth turned her head and gave him a questioning look. "Are the stars beautiful when you see them up there?"

He looked at the tiny stars and smiled down at her. "In space, all that surrounds you are stars. As far as you travel, you can see them everywhere. It's a beautiful sight." He glanced up at the sky again. "But there are places here on Earth that show only stars at night. It's as beautiful looking at them far away as it is up close."

"I've never seen the sky full of stars before," she said wistfully. A chuckle came from her mouth. "When I was young, I've always wanted a piece of a meteoroid; it was the closest thing to a star, since obviously stars aren't tangible." She shrugged and smiled at Superman. "Or, a piece of the moon. You know, that whole fabrication of it being made of cheese made me want to see if it was true."

He smiled at her reminisce. "Will you wait here for two minutes?" he asked and she looked at him.

"Sure. Is someone calling for help?"

"No, no emergencies . . . I just need to do something."

Elizabeth nodded and watched as Superman stood straight and raised his fist in his flight stance, giving her one last grin before shooting up into the sky, stirring the air around her and vanishing the moment she looked up.

She barely had any time to revisit their conversation, only succeeding in realizing the mess of information jammed into her brain at the moment. As soon as she thought about the fact that Superman was just another man in the city, he was back on her balcony. She checked her watch and raised an eyebrow at the preciseness of the time taken for him to leave and come back.

"Where did you go?" she asked, wondering what it was that wasn't so important that he came back.

He held out his hand, long fingers curled around an object sitting on his palm. "This is for you."

Elizabeth looked down at his outstretched hand and when he opened his hand her eyes widened as she looked between the object and him. "Is that . . . ?"

He moved closer to her so she could make out the features. "A piece of the moon."

She gaped at him. "What—you went up _there_? You're giving me a chunk of the _moon_?"

Superman smiled. "It's not a meteoroid, and it's not cheese, but I hope this will do," he said, placing the rock onto Elizabeth's hand.

She held it up to her face, feeling the contours of its surface, her fingers dipping into the ridges and grooves of the rock. She looked up at Superman with awe. "You went up to space and got a piece of the moon in two minutes . . . for me?" Her eyebrow rose when he smiled a bit sheepishly and she laughed lightly when she looked at the chunk in her hand again.

"Thank you, Superman. This is very thoughtful of you," she said and carefully placed the rock on her patio table.

"It was no problem. I like to help out others in other ways if I can."

Elizabeth laughed again. "Do many people ask for chunks of the moon?"

He smiled and shook his head.

Her inquisitive state back in motion, Elizabeth reclaimed her position against the railing, facing Superman who was still standing straight in front of her. There were still many things she'd like to know about him, as Superman, first and foremost. "How often do you go into space?"

"As much as I need to everyday; I go there so it's easier to hear the whole world, and I can reach people in other places quicker. I also go up there to get energy from the sun."

"Oh, so that's your power source?" He nodded and that prompted her to delve into the questions she was wondering about earlier with Clark. "Hmm . . . so, do you also get energy like the rest of us . . . um, like sleeping?"

He smiled at her curious line of questioning. "Yes, I sleep when I can."

She bit her lip, swallowed her embarassment and asked, "Do you _eat_?"

Superman chuckled and she felt like she lost her professionalism by asking such a ridiculous question.

"My body is built with the same basic structure as humans, stomach and appetite included."

Elizabeth flushed slightly and laughed at herself. "You're going to think I'm crazy for thinking this, but earlier I was questioning my coworkers about whether or not you had a drink preference, and because I tend to get carried away with my imagination, I wondered if you even _had_ an appetite and a stomach that functioned like humans—I thought that maybe you ate steel."

She expected the stately man in front of her to laugh at her in mockery at her ridiculous thoughts, but he had a smile that make the corners of his eyes crinkle, giving him a softer and genuine look.

"I don't think you're crazy. It's fascinating to hear what people think about me, but I have to say that you're the first person to ask me about my eating habits." When Elizabeth rolled her eyes, he laughed softly. "No, it's not a bad thing, Elizabeth. I'd be more than happy to tell you anything about me that you'd like to know."

"Just as long as it's not identity-revealing or too personal," she interjected and he nodded. She exhaled and grinned. "Well, when you talk to someone whose status is that of a celebrity, especially a _superhero_, you can't help wondering about the trivial things that go on in their daily life." She shrugged and crossed her arms against the cold. "Personally, I like to know about those things. I've never really _thought_ about you much in my life until these past couple of days, so that's likely the reason I'm shooting so many irrelevant questions your way."

His smile was still in place and he still stood tall and strong. "They're not irrelevant. If they help your understanding and curiosity, then I don't mind giving you answers. Plus," he paused and gave her a playful wink, "I'm amused to hear what other questions you have for me."

Elizabeth laughed. "Like, what's your favorite dessert?"

"Easily, that would have to be apple pie."

"A product of your home town?" she asked.

"Yes . . . my mother makes the best apple pies," he said, carefully watching Elizabeth's face.

She was looking back at him with a slight look of astonishment on her face, but it smoothed into a smile. "You have a family. Are they . . . " she left the question hanging, not really sure of what to ask him, and not sure if he wanted to give her this much detail about his life again.

"My adoptive family."

"Oh." She thought for another moment before bestowing upon him a look between confusion and amusement. "Are you _really _sure don't mind telling me, a _reporter_, the particulars of your personal life? You've only known me for a total of forty minutes. I don't think a man as cautious as you should be loosening his inhibitions, Superman. You don't know what I'm capable of."

He smiled elusively yet cordially. "Elizabeth, if I did mind telling you, I would not have answered the first question you asked." He sighed and looked over the city. "To tell you the truth, I really don't know why I am. I shouldn't, but for some odd reason being around you has made it easier to tell, easier to trust. For a long while it's been . . . difficult to trust people, knowing how dangerous it was putting those I cared about in danger."

"How come it's so easy with me? I shouldn't know all this about you," she argued.

"I don't know," he answered softly, yet the deep tone of his baritone voice belied its soft volume. Elizabeth was perturbed at the way his eyes had a strange glint to them when he looked at her. She didn't know what made her so special. "You're the first person who's ever tried to get to know me as a _person_, not just a superhero. I know you're being earnest when you say that you'll keep my secrets—as vague as they are—to yourself, and that's a virtue that is very hard to find in people, much less strangers." He looked her way and she gave a small smile.

"I don't see what good it would do _me_ if I were to even think about exploiting all this information; I may write stories that bring down bad people, or tell the hard truth, but I wouldn't ever do it to jeopardize someone's life who doesn't deserve to be disrespected." She cast him an appreciative look. "I . . . thank you for trusting me so much."

At his concentrated look she continued, "It doesn't lessen your value as a superhero, who only shows people his valiant side, when you express yourself." She nodded her head. "Really. I know that if I were to tell people that _Superman_ talked to me about any thoughts of scruples, they would certainly doubt your entitlement as their protector, just because you allowed yourself to be _human_. You have this superhero protocol that they have instilled in their opinion; I don't think being able to talk about your feelings or emotions is what's expected from the general public."

He kept looking at her with his unwavering expression and Elizabeth blushed, rushing to amend her words. "Oh, sorry. I started analyzing again. I really need to stop running my mouth."

His facial appearance relaxed and he laughed lightly at her blabbering. "No, no, it's alright. You're right; as Superman I'm superhuman and I have to _show_ people that I'm capable of aiding them. And to exemplify anything other than that would be mind-boggling for them, and would put a different impression on them."

There was another quiet moment between the two as Elizabeth drew up the courage to go further with the topic of him. "So, do you use your "normal" personality as a disguise to dissuade people into thinking that you're Superman when you're not him? Or are you the same when you're out and about around Metropolis, despite your change in appearance?"

"When I'm not saving the world, or rather, not wearing this suit, I am a completely different person. I use it to turn people off on the notion that Superman and I are one in the same."

"So, that's your real personality?" she asked.

He was quiet for a while and Elizabeth was worried that she had pushed herself too far again. She was about to retrieve her question, but he spoke.

"No. Even the personality of me being just a person doesn't really portray myself truly. I—my true self is back at home, where I'm accepted for everyone I am," he said slowly.

She smiled at him. "You must have a very supportive and proud family. I'm glad you have somewhere to be yourself."

"What about you?" She looked at him in confusion. "Your family, I mean."

Elizabeth laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "This interview is about _you_, not me."

He countered, "I thought we were having a conversation," which made her frown at his slight smirk.

She sighed and resigned, not wanting to wonder what it would be like defying Superman. "Well, I don't know. What do you want to know?" she asked hesitantly, suddenly wishing she had just gone ahead with the question and answer approach.

"You mentioned that you were new to Metropolis, right?" Elizabeth nodded. "Are you here by yourself?"

"Should superheroes have interest in people's personal lives?" she muttered and he chuckled.

Superman's smile was lively and bright, a significant change from the stern look that was resting upon his brow a few moments ago. "I _am_ being human for this short while; I suppose I'm entitled to being enlightened about the person whom I am having an _in depth_ conversation with."

Elizabeth laughed. "Well, if you persist. Um, yes, I moved here by myself, just a month ago, and started at the_ Daily Planet_. I have a small family, and everyone else is living back in Chicago, where I came from. We're close, and they were supportive in my decision to move here . . . uh, that's it." She quickly turned the questioning back to him. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I don't."

"So your family here on Earth is your adoptive family—what about your biological parents?"

She noticed the slight change in his demeanor, but he answered in the same light tone, "They sent me here when I was young, right before Krypton was destroyed."

"Your birth place?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "Kryptonite is from Krypton, right? And you're vulnerable to it?"

"Yes, the only thing that's fatal to me."

She tilted her head and remembered a story a few months ago about kryptonite. "If I recall, there was an incident several months ago about kryptonite and a new mass of rock growing," she said and Superman nodded gravely.

"Lex Luthor had used kryptonite against me and to create his own land, hoping to wipe out every other country."

"But afterward, there were pieces of it that fell from that land back onto the earth, correct?"

"Correct. Though there are still probably pieces scattered about, the major ones that could be seen have been cleared away."

Elizabeth looked out over the city and wondered about the chance of Superman accidentally coming into contact with a piece, or worse, someone else getting a hold of one. "I hope so," she said. "I can't imagine what would happen if people started mass-producing it, to use against you."

He joined her on the railing and looked contemplative as he surveyed the busy city before them. "I can."

She turned her eyes on him. "Are you worried about that? People having easy access to the one thing that can literally bring you to your knees?"

A frown flittered across his forehead. "It's always a concern, but with technology and the amount of people who _do_ like me helping, it's not an immediate cause of alarm. Right after people realized that pieces of kryptonite fell back down, you'd be surprised at the amount of volunteers who helped get rid of them."

She grinned. "Knowing that you're their number one hero, I don't doubt that there were a good plenty of them. You have quite the fanbase, Superman." She caught the time on her watch and realized that she had been interviewing Superman for almost an hour. "Oh, goodness, this has been the longest interview I have ever done. Um, I'm just going to ask you a few more basic questions, then I'll let you go off saving the world."

He nodded, and Elizabeth continued her inquisition until she had a satisfactory number of questions that she _could_ write about, since most of their conversation had been in a serious tone.

Once they were finished, she finally stopped the tape and turned to the patient superhero, giving him a smile as she held out her hand.

"Thank you, Superman, for allowing me to have an interview with you," she said as he shook her hand again, a pleasant smile on his face.

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for having a conversation with me . . . I believe it's my first. And thank you for your hospitality and the tea," he replied.

"Anytime." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and watched him prepare to take leave. "You have a good night."

He smiled down at her. "You too," he said before launching off the ground, this time slower in speed. Elizabeth watched with her arms crossed as he lifted off her balcony and soared into the sky, gaining speed as he quickly disappeared from her sight. She stood there for five minutes, waiting until the shock and sudden giddiness erupted within her before finally letting out a chuckle.

"What a guy," she said softly and turned around to gather the items on the patio. When she picked up the empty mug that he had drank out of, she grinned stupidly at the fact that he _did_ drink tea, just as she suspected.

She reentered her apartment and dropped the mugs off in the sink, then settled on the couch where her laptop was waiting on the coffee table. But before she started on the article, where any interruptions from the mind and the outside world were not preferred, she picked up the phone and dialed, waiting until a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?"

Elizabeth smiled at the sound of her sister's voice. "You'll never guess who I talked for almost two hours tonight," she said, forgoing a proper greeting as she never did anyway.

"Who? Is it someone important? You wouldn't be calling and asking me to guess if it wasn't, huh? I don't know, Liz, who? Superman?"

"Yes."

Charlotte's gasp on the other end made Elizabeth giggle. "You're kidding!"

"Do I kid?"

Charlotte laughed this time and said, "Holy crap, Liz, you talked to Superman for almost _two_ hours? About what!"

Elizabeth shrugged and played with a tassel on the only pillow on her couch. "I had to interview him, but I didn't know _what_ to ask him, so . . . we just _talked_. Who knew he was such a nice person?"

Her sister scoffed. "Of course _you_ wouldn't, loser. How was it?"

"It was good."

"Isn't he cute?"

Elizabeth laughed and rolled her eyes at Charlotte's brash question, but she knew she couldn't avoid it. "Yes," she muttered and a peal of laughter was shrilled into her ear.

"Wow. You are like . . . _the _last person to ever bother hearing about him, and yet you interviewed him."

"Well, I didn't _want_ to. I was forced to write an article on him because I'm the newest member to the _Daily Planet_."

"Good for you, Liz. Broaden your horizons; you went from toughing out the nitty gritty of journalism to interviewing a superhero. What next, you're going to do an advice column?"

Elizabeth groaned. "Shut up. At least I can finally start writing articles now. Geez, I was so _bored_ just sitting there and editing everyone else's."

"You know I was just kidding. Anyway, how are you? How's Metropolis?"

"Just like home. How's everyone?"

"Good."

Elizabeth sighed and felt her heart constrict in an act of homesickness. "How's Parker?"

"He misses you. He keeps asking about you everyday."

"Well, tell him that I love him and that I miss him too. It's only a few more weeks," Elizabeth said, rubbing her eyes.

"Is the apartment all settled in?"

"Almost. I have about three more boxes to unpack, and I still have to shop around for more stuff."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna let you write that interesting article. Oh, and send me a copy of the _Daily Planet_ so I can read about your _chat_."

"Alright. Night."

"Goodnight Liz."

Elizabeth hung up the phone and took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders until she got comfortable. She propped the laptop in her lap and after a minute's hesitation, started typing.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope the interview was fine. And thank you to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters—they're really encouraging, especially since this is a pairing not of the norm.


	4. Worldly

**Disclaimer:** Standard rules apply.

**Author's Note**: I'm alive! I'm alive and well and happy that I have _finally_ finished this chapter. So, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter IV: _Worldly  
_**

* * *

The article was slammed down on the desk and Elizabeth winced at her boss' fervor, looking at him warily.

"How was it?" she asked.

Perry uncharacteristically laughed heartily, surprising Elizabeth. "Sanders, I loved it! You exploited a whole new side to Superman!" he exclaimed, waving the article in his hand again.

Elizabeth thought about what he said and smirked inwardly at the double meaning of his words, knowing that what she wrote was only a third of what she and Superman actually talked about that previous night. "Thanks, Mr. White. I'm glad you like it."

"Don't thank me; you're the one who wrote it. I don't know why I didn't make you write this earlier; would've made for a good fall start. In any case, you did a job well done," he said and Elizabeth nodded, smiling at his praise.

He blindly waved his hand in the direction of the door, his attention no longer on Elizabeth's article. "Now, go, I have a meeting in ten minutes."

She moved towards the door but before she left, Perry called out to her again. "Oh, and Sanders," he said and she looked back at him. "Welcome to the team."

Elizabeth beamed and nodded. "Thanks Mr. White," she said before opening the door and exiting his office, walking back to her desk with a wide smile and an excitement about her future here at the _Planet_. Getting an official welcoming from the editor-in-chief would surely pave the way for receiving stories from him, and that's all Elizabeth had been hoping for the moment she stepped foot in the building.

Once she reached her desk, she sat down in her chair with a contented sigh, relieved that the hard part had finally passed. It took her three hours to type the article, and then another hour revising it. She went to bed late, yet happy. Now, all she had to do was wait for the evaluation from the general public.

Elizabeth was too involved in her thoughts that she failed yet again to hear someone's approach. "Good morning, Elizabeth," Clark greeted and she smiled up at him.

"Oh, hi Clark! Haven't seen you all morning," she commented and checked the time, which read ten till eleven.

Clark shrugged sheepishly and naturally adjusted his glasses. "I had many errands to run."

Unable to wait until the subject was casually brought into their conversation, or before he left, Elizabeth jumped forward in her excitement and rushed to give Clark the good news. "So . . . Mr. White apparently loves my article, _and_ he welcomed me to the team, which in my book translates into, 'Congratulations, you are now entitled to being a true journalist.' I am just glad that I don't have to be stuck here all day anymore."

He laughed slightly at her exuberance. "So, um, how was interviewing Superman?" he asked.

Elizabeth briefly relayed last night's meeting in her mind and took her time to choose the right term for summing up all the sentiments regarding the ordeal. "Remarkable," she finally said smiled delightfully. "I didn't really know what to expect from meeting him, besides all the hearsay around the city, and when I did, I was thoroughly surprised."

"So you found him pleasant?"

"Oh, undeniably! He is by far the friendliest albeit the only superhero I've met. Well, I wasn't really expecting him to be any sort of unkind, but I was just taken back at how _nice_ a person he is. He sure doesn't let his fame supersede his demeanor, I'll tell you that."

Clark smiled, though he had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Are you now charmed into the realm of all things Superman?" he asked.

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. "As much as he impressed me with his gallantness, I'm pretty sure I'm still neutral when it comes to pining for the man. I don't know," she paused and shrugged. "I just enjoyed talking to him."

Clark started to reply but was interrupted by Jimmy's greeting, cried out in his bright enthusiasm.

"Clark, there you are! I have some pictures for your story on the new waterworks building," he said and produced a mass of black and white prints of the new construction work for Clark. As they selected which pictures were to be put in the paper, Elizabeth noticed another picture at the bottom of the stack-which was compiling on her desk-that didn't resemble any construction. She stood up and picked the picture up, peering at it curiously, and wondered if Jimmy was aware that he took a picture of just a dark object in the sky.

"Hey Jimmy, what's this a picture of?" she asked. Both men stopped talking and looked over at the subject of Elizabeth's inquiry.

Jimmy pointed at the smear on the sky and proudly smiled. "That's Superman—can't you see?"

Elizabeth squinted at the picture and tilted her head in an attempt at deciphering his image. "I'm sorry Jimmy, but I can't see him. He doesn't have much of a shape…all I see is a blur," she said apologetically, not wanting to belittle his photography skills.

"I can't really see him either, Jimmy," Clark added, leaning close to the picture.

Jimmy sighed huffily. "That's because I forgot to use the zoom. _These_ are the better pictures," he said as he took out several pictures hidden underneath the stack and handed them to Elizabeth.

These were definitely much better than the previous picture. "Well, these are better," Elizabeth said and held the picture slightly away from her so that all three of them could see. Jimmy _did _use the zoom feature on these and captured a sharp image of Superman in his imperial poise as he was flying between buildings.

"Wow Jimmy, these pictures are great! Absolutely the best I've seen of him," Clark exclaimed and lightly slapped Jimmy on the back. But from Clark's exuberance and Jimmy's lack of fitness, the photographer swayed forward.

Jimmy smiled despite his tipped equilibrium. "Thanks. I've got more too, if you want to take a look, Elizabeth. Maybe later you can pick out which one you'd like to use for your article."

She nodded and handed the picture back to him. "That'd be great, Jimmy. Just come and find me whenever you have them."

"Alright. Well, I gotta go and sort these out on the computer. I'll see you guys later!" With a lively wave, Jimmy left, leaving Clark and Elizabeth with his lingering buoyancy.

"I guess that's my cue to leave as well. I've got my own story to write, after all," Clark said and Elizabeth nodded.

"Okay. Sorry if I kept you," she told him, but he shook his head.

"You didn't. I enjoy our conversations; they're always interesting." He gave her a boyish grin.

Elizabeth laughed. "Thanks Clark, it's good to know that I provide entertainment in your life."

"I'll see you later, Elizabeth," he said and with a small wave and a wide smile, he turned around and returned to his desk.

Elizabeth watched him as he made his way back towards his desk and smiled. To say that she hasn't developed a tiny office crush on Clark Kent would be a lie, but she knew better than to let that grow into something bigger. Clark was a good guy, and he didn't need to be involved with someone like her who has issues spilling over the bag she keeps them in.

Before Elizabeth could further dwell on the topic, a paper was on her desk and she took the red pen out of her hair and resigned herself to editing, but not without reminding herself that she wouldn't be doing this much longer.

* * *

By the time the workday was over, Elizabeth had drunk three cups of coffee and was wishing she wasn't wearing heels. It had been an over productive day, with more articles to edit and having her own sent to the printers. "Superman 101" was set to be on the front page the next morning, and Elizabeth couldn't have been more excited.

Of course, her article was also subjected to being scrutinized by her coworkers, and throughout the day Elizabeth had numerous people coming up to her—some she knew and many she did not—and congratulating her on producing a new (and entertaining) Superman story.

By the time Lois approached her, Elizabeth had been holding her breath and waiting for this particular feedback.

"It seems that you had an interesting interview with Superman," Lois had said to her as soon as she caught her by the coffee station.

Elizabeth smiled shyly as she grabbed the creamer. "I did."

"You got a lot of information on him," Lois stated, and Elizabeth saw the look in her eyes flicker. She wasn't expecting an interrogation.

She shrugged and laughed lightly. "Really pointless stuff; I didn't want to talk about anything too serious," she told her, watching her expression carefully. "He was very patient and benign with me, much to my surprise. You didn't tell me he was such a gentleman."

Lois laughed, though Elizabeth caught the bitterness edging her smile. "Too much of a gentleman. Well, I'm glad you found him genial."

Elizabeth had a fourth of a mind to ask her what she's wanted to touch on ever since she read Lois' article, but she the better part of her mind resisted.

"Well, I just came to tell you that I actually enjoyed your article."

The astonishment that overcame Elizabeth was enough to make her eyes widen and to ask stupidly, "You did?"

Lois gave her an amused look. "You weren't expecting me to?"

"Well, when you came up to me, you didn't really look as if you enjoyed it."

"Elizabeth," she paused and entered a drawn sigh. "I'm going to be honest. I have a history with Superman, and when I first read the article, I admit that I was kind of angry and a little jealous that someone who's only met him once got to know so much about him, whereas someone who's known him for a while longer. I didn't know all those things about him."

Elizabeth smiled at what it took for Lois to explain her misgivings. She believed the snarky reporter to be a woman who didn't let her guard down and didn't let vulnerability come across her palette of colorful personality descriptions. To express such an emotion made Lois more of a woman, and less of a straight-lined reporter.

She cleared her throat. "Lois, if I may say something, I don't think that my article should make a difference to how you see Superman, and how well you know him. I know Superman on a superficial basis, whereas you know him on a much deeper level, having such a long time with him."

Lois scoffed. "Long time."

Elizabeth nodded. "It's true. What's my 45 minutes with him to your half a decade together? I appreciate your worries over my useless knowledge of what Superman's favorite things are, but I appreciate your care for your relationship even more."

Although she felt bad for not giving the exact truth of her encounter with the famed superhero, she did mean what she told Lois. Underneath her curiosity of the actual nature of Lois and Superman's relationship, Elizabeth was jealous that Lois knew Superman so personally.

"You shouldn't be concerned, Lois," she said, giving the quiet reporter a small smile. "I'm sure he cares for you."

Lois looked sharply at Elizabeth's direction, and Elizabeth noticed an unreadable expression in her eye. "The question is if _I _still do," she muttered and Elizabeth tried to repress her surprise. But quicker than those words left Lois' mouth, she looked at Elizabeth with a grin. "Time changes people, doesn't it?" she asked with a falsely lighter tone.

Elizabeth blinked and didn't quite know how to deal with this sudden admission. She didn't know Lois personally, and she didn't even know the extent of their relationship. Instead, she thought about time concerning her own life and she nodded solemnly in agreement.

"It does." After a slight pause, Elizabeth cleared her throat and fidgeted with her coffee in an attempt to smooth the awkwardness of their conversation. "Well, there's always room for a new start," she said and gave Lois a positive smile.

Lois nodded, though a frown still marred her face. "You're right. Anyway," she paused as she filled her mug with fresh coffee, and then continued as she poured in a pack of sugar, "I'm sorry if this conversation got too tense; I didn't mean to be so . . . sensitive."

Elizabeth nodded. "Oh, it's alright. Thank you, for actually being honest with me, and also for liking my story."

Lois threw her an admonishing look. "Why wouldn't I? You're a great writer Elizabeth, but I hope to God you don't ever get anymore _Superman_ articles. They get real tedious real fast," she advised.

Elizabeth laughed. "I hope not either. But I must give you credit for dealing with so many in the past."

"I think that'll change," Lois replied, and Elizabeth looked at her confusingly.

"How so?"

Lois rolled her eyes and pointed at Elizabeth with a stirrer. "After tomorrow, all of Metropolis are going to be asking about this Elizabeth Sanders and will be demanding for more."

Elizabeth resisted the urge to groan. "You really think so?" She sincerely hoped not, since her whole purpose for writing that article was to pave way for more, better, _important_ stories to write, certainly not to open a new door for having a series of Superman articles dealing with . . . well, everything about him. She didn't want to devalue her journalistic credibility by writing articles akin to those of the _Daily Star_.

Lois shrugged apologetically. "Sorry to say it, but it's _that_ good." Before Elizabeth could respond, Lois checked her watch and smiled contritely. "Oh, sorry, I have to go. I have to pick Jason up from school."

"Oh, sure. Thanks again, Lois."

Lois nodded. "No problem. It was nice talking to you. I'll see you tomorrow; bye!"

"You too!" Elizabeth called to Lois' retreating form and exhaled, glancing at the cup of coffee in front of her, bewildered with Lois' unexpected confessions. She then returned to her desk, feet aching and her head heavy, wishing for the next hour and a half to come and go quickly.

Now, as she shut down her computer and neatly stacked loose documents splayed on her desk, she was more than ready for warm socks and a cup of warm green tea. Her day had been a whirlwind, and amidst the excitement and frustration, she was glad that she was back into the swing of things as a journalist. By tomorrow, she'd be ready for the same amount of zeal; even more. It was something she missed and stepping back into it upped her confidence immensely. She finally felt like she _belonged_.

She pulled on her coat and gave her workstation a final once-over, satisfied with its order. Rolling her chair under her desk, she grabbed her bag and left, sighing in relief as she stepped into the elevator lobby. Just as she entered the large room filled with many people leaving for home, she caught an elevator closing and ran to it.

"Wait! Hold the elevator please!"

She expected the car to be overcrowded with irritated and impatient people, but she was surprised to see it empty, except for one person keeping the door open for her. When she stepped inside, she looked up and was surprised to see Clark.

"Clark! Oh, thank you for holding the elevator for me," she said as she pushed her hair back.

He smiled brilliantly at her and hitched his briefcase under his arm. "You're welcome. How was your day? I haven't seen you much since lunchtime," he commented and Elizabeth sighed.

"I know; I was busy. My article seemed to be the story of the day, apparently. I'm just waiting to get home and relax."

He chuckled. "You look very tired. And, your article has every right to be talked about—I read it and was thoroughly entertained."

She sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'm glad you liked it. You along with fifty other people. If I get this much of a reaction in only the _newsroom_, then imagine the response I'll get from the _city_." She shook her head in disbelief. "As proud as I am about my article, it's overwhelming to think about the consequences. Who knew the world would go crazy about small, insignificant tidbits about their favorite hero?"

Clark watched her with a soft and amused eye from behind the glassy sheen of his glasses. "You should be lucky you got that close and personal with Superman."

Elizabeth smiled and thought back to the previous night. "I suppose. He can hold a very good conversation." She glanced at Clark and regarded him with a thoughtful expression. "Hey, Clark?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think . . . I mean . . . Superman, he—he's a _person_ too, right?" She stumbled with her words, and wasn't sure if she even knew how to continue.

Clark stood there and gazed at the floor for a contemplative moment, then looked back at Elizabeth, eyes bright with conviction. "Yes, I believe he's as much as a person as you and me."

Elizabeth's brows went up and a relieving interest sparked within her. Along with the opening of some butterfly cages, but she disregarded that sensation. She was just pleased to know that she wasn't the only one who saw Superman as a person and not only as a hero.

However, she decided to not resume with what she started to say. She owed it to Superman to keep her word, even if she wanted nothing more than to sit with Clark over a cup of coffee discussing the discount people had for Superman's _human_ qualities. Well, there were _other_ reasons why she'd like to sit with Clark, but those would go unmentioned for now.

Instead, she smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah, he really is something."

Clark didn't say anything and silence ensued between the two occupants of the elevator, which Elizabeth started to feel uncomfortable about. She never did like silences where a word or two was often needed to smooth out the rough patches of the conversation stalemate. She just felt that silence after a thought-provoking comment was sometimes too much.

She quickly thought of something to say when the bell dinged and the elevator doors opened. Like the gentleman he is, Clark let Elizabeth go out first, and she waited for him to walk out of the entrance doors of the building.

"Oh, Clark!" She finally remembered something and turned eagerly towards him. When he raised his eyebrows questioningly, she grinned. "About that payback," she said and Clark held his hand up while shaking his head.

"Elizabeth, you really don't have to do anything," he contested, but Elizabeth wouldn't have it.

"Clark, you already agreed. I _am_ one to not take no as an answer, remember?" She threw him a teasing grin.

Clark laughed and held the door open for her. "Alright, I give in. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I hear there's the annual Centennial Fair this weekend, and since I've never been to one, I'd like to go. So, I'm inviting you to go, seeing as I need _someone_ to guide me around this vast and populated city," she said and swept her eyes over Planet Square, taking in the harried movements of people passing by.

She looked at Clark and was pleased to see him look surprised at her suggestion. After a second, a bright smile was set on his mouth. "I'd be delighted to go with you."

"Really? That's great! Thanks Clark! I wouldn't have known what to do if you refused; that was sort of my only choice of compensation…" she trailed off and bit her lip, feeling flushed.

Clark's smile widened. "I wouldn't have refused even if you asked me to rummage through garbage cans."

Elizabeth laughed and reveled at the sincerity of Clark's benevolence. She honestly couldn't say she ever met another man who was as gentle as Clark was, and she was all too grateful that she got the opportunity to know him. Her mild crush aside, she really enjoyed his personality and felt more comfortable being around him than even in her own new home.

"Not like I would ever ask you to do such a thing," she laughed. A honk sounded nearby and she realized that they've been standing on the sidewalk for a while and that they both probably had places to be. She gave Clark another smile. "I'll be looking forward to this weekend then."

Clark nodded. "Should I meet you there?"

"Oh, yeah. Here's my number." Elizabeth grabbed a pen and a post-it note from her bag, and then proceeded to scribble down her number, handing it to Clark. After she returned her stationary items, she turned to the street and held out her hand, hoping to hail a cab quickly. When one stopped in front of her, she turned back to Clark. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow Clark."

He waved at her. "Have a good evening."

She smiled and opened the door. "You too." Once inside, she directed the taxi driver where to go, and sat back, realizing that in the short time she spent talking to Clark, she didn't feel the effects of the day whatsoever.

* * *

It was finally Friday, and Elizabeth wanted to just drop into a heap onto her couch and sleep the weekend away. Instead, Friday night found her out on her balcony, sitting on a patio chair with a warm blanket and a cup of tea. She was detaching herself from her work-mode and slowly easing into the relaxing mood the cool night presented.

Her day at work had been, at best, rewarding and, at worst, frenzied. On her way into work she had caught a copy of the _Daily Planet_ and couldn't help feeling the surge of pride as she saw her name on the front page. And the picture that Jimmy had taken emphasized her story, no less. In the elevator, she grinned as she saw everyone's paper unopened, eyes glued to the front page.

Once she entered the newsroom, she was bombarded with even more acclaims from the same people as yesterday, along with dozens more who had just caught the story that morning. The reactions from her coworkers were overwhelming, but by the time noon rolled in, the expectation of response increased tenfold. Phones were ringing constantly, and Elizabeth's inbox was never filled with old messages. The most important critics were the ones with the most opinions, and Elizabeth marveled at the magnitude of interest Metropolis had for trivial information about Superman.

The rest of the day had been a blur, with Elizabeth doing the same, constant things that she hoped would keep her in line. But despite the numerous articles edited, her mind would always stray off track and she constantly found herself thinking about either Clark or Superman. The former, because he had sat with her through their lunch break and was the highlight of her day, and the latter because she couldn't escape his name. People continued to talk about her article, and she was continuously reverted to the interview she had. She couldn't help but wonder what his thoughts were about this whole ordeal.

She was caught up in the lights and her thoughts that she started at the sound of a new voice.

"Good evening, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth jumped and turned around quickly, finding none other than Superman hovering over her balcony, a good four feet above the ground. She laughed lightly as she stood up, holding her hand over her erratic heart. Superman lowered himself to the ground, and Elizabeth knew he heard her heart by the amused look on his face.

"Superman. You scared me," she said with a slight laugh.

"I didn't mean to," he amended, with a sincere apologetic look on his face.

Elizabeth shook her head and smiled at him. "It's alright. How are you tonight?"

His smile was warm. "I'm doing fine; it's been a quiet night. How are you yourself, Elizabeth?"

"Grateful that today is Friday. It's been a hectic day for me." She glanced at him and narrowed her eyes speculatively. "Did you read the newspaper today?"

Superman laughed and leaned against the railing. Elizabeth smiled inwardly at his casual posture. "Yes, I did read it today. I must say, your article was quite entertaining," he told her, amusement punctuating his words.

Superman's opinion was another one that Elizabeth was anxious about. It _was_ about his personal life, along with him being the only other person who knew what was said between them the other night. Besides herself, he was her best (or worst) critique.

"I didn't say anything that didn't need be said, did I?" she asked.

"What you wrote was fine. Although, I'm not sure how the city would react to knowing that I like peanut butter cookies, or that my favorite color is yellow." He laughed and Elizabeth laughed along with him.

"I was overwhelmed by the amount of feedback I received on this article. I definitely did not know what I got myself into. But," she paused and smiled at him. "I'm glad that I did. Besides, who knew I'd learn so much about the world's favorite hero?"

"I never thought I'd ever publicly tell what my favorite things are." He chuckled. "Your article was well written, Elizabeth."

She flushed slightly and chided herself for being so reactive to Superman. "Well, thank you. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Hopefully I won't have to write anymore Superman articles. No offense," she said.

He shook his head and smiled. "No, I understand. Writing about me can be tedious. If I can help it, there wouldn't be any articles written about me." Superman looked over the city expanse. "But, with the people of Metropolis, I'm sure they'll be asking for more."

Elizabeth sighed and turned to rest her hands on the railing, looking at the city as well. She came to this city with hopes of having a change of scenery, and to be a steadfast journalist who wrote significant stories for the _Daily Planet_. She never thought that she'd come into this city and meet so many people including a caring, humble, and sweet reporter, and a caring, humble and sweet superhero . . . and then be asked to write articles about said superhero.

She took a breath of the crisp air and turned to look at Superman. When he turned his sharp blue eyes towards her, she was amazed at the intensity swirled in. "So, was that all you came by to tell me?"

"Actually, no. I also came by to . . . talk."

She blinked and sent Superman an incredulous look. He came back to her balcony to _talk_ to her? She was shocked immensely, but beyond that, she was actually flattered.

"You came back to chat with me?" she asked softly, still unbelieving.

The calm superhero beside her nodded with seriousness still in his eye. "I did. Do you not want me to talk to you?"

"No! No, of course I'd love to talk to you, but I'm just . . . surprised. There are plenty of other people who are probably more interesting than I am. Why me?"

Superman shrugged lightly and turned his gaze back to the city. "I do talk to many people in a day's time, but to be honest, when I'm talking with you, it's the most refreshing out of all the other conversations I'm in . . . as both men."

Elizabeth blushed. "But I've only spoken with you one other time," she argued.

"That night with you made up for the past years," he simply said and Elizabeth was blown away by his confession. "It gets tiring to hear the same things everyday. It _is_ rewarding to hear gratuitous thanks from those I save, but I'd like to have a real conversation with someone who isn't looking at me as just a famed superhero."

"And I'm assuming that I'm the only one?"

He nodded and smiled at her.

"So no one else has ever tried to initiate a conversation with you?"

"No."

Elizabeth's gaze softened and she realized that the only time Superman could _talk_ to someone is when he's not saving that person, and she knew that there were more times in a day that he was Superman rather than just a man. "I enjoy talking to you, Superman. There are only a few people in this city that I really talk to, and I can easily say that you're among the top."

Superman chuckled. "And I'm grateful that you moved here to Metropolis. Which reminds me; I forgot to do my duty as this city's beloved mascot," he said and smiled playfully.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Welcome you to Metropolis. So, without further ado, welcome."

She laughed at his debonair expression. "I graciously accept your greeting, Superman. And as _my_ duty as a hostess, would you care for some tea?"

The acclaimed man nodded and turned to give Elizabeth a small smile. "I would love some. You remembered," he noted.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean, I _do_ have a list of your favorite things, so don't be surprised if the next time you come I offer lasagna." She grinned at him as she walked towards her balcony door. "You can wait out here or come inside, if you'd like. Though, I'd rather you not come in, since I'm _still_ in the process of moving in."

He took a seat at her patio table. "I'll wait here."

Elizabeth slid the door opened and stepped in, but when Superman spoke she paused, turning back around.

"Oh, and Elizabeth," he said and she raised her eyebrows. He grinned at her. "When you come back, I think it's your turn to be asked questions."

Elizabeth laughed. "Yes, alright. I owe you that much." With one last chuckle, Elizabeth went into her apartment with a silly smile adorning her face.

She shook her head to herself as she entered her kitchen, musing at the surreal situation she was in at the moment. She was surprised beyond measure to see Superman back on her balcony, _not_ at her will, and even more so when he admitted that he liked talking to her. To a single Metropolis dweller, Superman would not be suspected to wish for a nice little _chat_ with someone.

In a way, it was Elizabeth's intent on making Metropolis—and the _world_—see that their beloved superhero was not just a two-dimensional character, that he did have likes and dislikes just as much as they did. She supposed that with her journalistic nature of being privy to secret information, as well as being a foreigner to the daily celebration of Superman's glory, she had more leverage with giving him the benefit of the doubt.

She refrained from speaking out loud, but the giddy woman in her couldn't hide the smiling fact that _Superman_ wanted to talk to _her_.

Elizabeth grabbed a mug from her cupboard and wondered if it was going to be a long night.


	5. Waylay

**Disclaimer:** Standard rules apply.

* * *

**Chapter V: _Waylay  
_**

* * *

A beep sounded on the nightstand, and Elizabeth snoozed her alarm clock for the second time. Her eyes opened and the sun shining through her curtain-less windows kept her awake. She stretched her arms out and yawned, glancing at the time on the clock. Even with setting her alarm clock to nine, she was still not a completely morning person.

After a few minutes of orienting herself with the rising day, she got out of bed and wondered why she was especially tired this morning. A cursory rehash of last night resulted in a small laugh from Elizabeth, and a reason why.

Superman.

When he arrived on her balcony, she was surprised. When he flew off her balcony, she was _still_ surprised. Their conversation was anything but expected. Just as she had promised, Elizabeth allowed Superman to ask her questions about herself. And like the gentleman he is, he only peeled off the top layer of her life. She couldn't bring herself to be vulnerable to Superman, despite his comforting quality. She was sure that even if he accepted the fact that her life was more problematic than she wished it to be, she couldn't let Superman see her in any way different. It was not only her pride, but her whole motive for starting a relatively new life.

They both had their secrets, and there was a mutual respect for each other's need to protect them. When she is ready to tell Superman things about her lives that were otherwise hidden, then she will. Likewise, if and when Superman will ever be able to trust her with his identity, she will be accepting with a full heart and a smile at his courage.

Elizabeth sighed as she trudged into her bathroom to get ready. It was already nine ten and she was supposed to meet Clark at the park at ten thirty.

By the time she was dressed and fully awake, she had fifteen minutes before she planned to head out, so she decided to get a head start and take her time walking to the park. She still hadn't familiarized herself with Metropolis' vast cityscape besides Planet Square, and since Centennial Park was only three blocks away from her apartment building, she thought that it would be both beneficial and peaceful to take a nice morning walk.

After she grabbed her bag, she walked out of the door and headed towards the elevators. There was a couple waiting for the elevators, and Elizabeth recognized them as her neighbors across the hall. She walked up to them and they turned to her, greeting her with friendly smiles.

"Elizabeth! So nice to see you this morning," Lauren said, giving the older woman a hug.

Elizabeth laughed and smiled, returning the embrace. "You too!" After extracting herself from the bubbly woman, Elizabeth in turn smiled at her husband. "Hi Mark."

He raised a hand and waved at her. "Hello yourself, Elizabeth. How're you doing?"

The elevator door dinged and opened. The three adults entered, and Elizabeth waited until Mark pushed the button for the lobby before answering, "I'm doing well. I'm still getting accustomed to life here in Metropolis." She laughed and waved her hand.

Lauren nodded. "It takes some time getting used to it. But since you're from Chicago, shouldn't you be used to the hustle and bustle?" she asked.

"Oh I am, no doubt, but since moving in and starting my new job so soon, I haven't had time to settle yet; my boxes aren't all unpacked yet," she explained.

Mark chuckled. "Don't feel bad; just last week we bought a dining table, and we've been living here for six months."

"And," Lauren added, pointing a finger, "You're by yourself, so you can't be expected to have everything finished so soon. Do you need any help?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's only a few boxes, and I already have the major things unpacked and moved in. But thank you for the offer."

They reached the lobby and Elizabeth walked out with them. She squinted in the sun and smiled at them. "So, where are you two headed this morning?"

"We're going to the fair today; are you going?" Mark asked and she nodded.

"Actually, yeah. I'm on my way there now."

"Oh! Well, Mark and I were just going to get some breakfast before we go. Would you like to join us?" Lauren offered. Elizabeth shook her head, but smiled at the gesture. The Clemens were the first people to welcome her to their apartment building, and the first friends she made here in Metropolis. They were a young couple, married for not even a year, and they were quick to make Elizabeth feel at home with Lauren's warm generosity and Mark's humble persona.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm supposed to meet someone at the park."

Lauren smiled and waved away Elizabeth's apologetic look. "Oh, no worries! But you're coming over for dinner later this week, alright? Mark's been promoted to sous chef, so he'll be glad to show off his cooking skills."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and smiled at Mark, who smiled back sheepishly. "Congratulations, Mark! I'm sure whatever you make I'll love."

He laughed and nodded. "Well, just pick a day and time, and I'll be sure to have the best food prepared."

"Okay." Elizabeth caught the time on her watch. "Oh, sorry guys, but I have to get going. I don't want him to wait."

"_Him_?" Lauren smiled mischievously at Elizabeth. "Are you going on a _date_, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the remark, as well as at her mind for wishing it were. "Hardly. He's just a coworker who's helping me to get to know Metropolis better," she said, smiling at Lauren's skeptical look.

"That's what you say. I thi—"

"Okay," Mark interjected, grabbing Lauren's hand and tugging her away from Elizabeth. "Honey, I don't think Elizabeth wants you making assumptions about her love life. And, we should probably get going too, because I don't know how much longer my stomach will last without any food in it."

"Fine. But if this _does_ turn out to be like a date, you better give details, Elizabeth!" Lauren exclaimed, wagging her finger at the flustered reporter.

Elizabeth laughed. "And that's a definite _if_."

"Whatever. Alright then, we better head off. Hopefully we'll see you at the fair; oh, you can introduce us to this 'friend' of yours!" Lauren laughed and Mark rolled his eyes. "Bye Elizabeth!"

"Bye Lauren. Bye Mark."

Mark waved and winked at her. "Bye Elizabeth. Have fun!"

Elizabeth stood there, watching them walk away hand in hand, and she smiled at their apparent and exuberant love for each other. In a slight way, it made her feel lovelorn and jealous, wanting to know what it felt like to have what they had.

But she shook her head and corrected herself; she had more important things that needed to be programmed into her lifestyle as her morning habits were—namely, her profession as a journalist. Love was definitely not a top contender in her future plans; love was something that she would just have to wait for. But as things were now, it seemed that love could arrive sooner than Elizabeth expected. And _that_ is a definite _could_.

Speaking of, Elizabeth checked her watch and frowned, realizing that she had only fifteen minutes until she was supposed to meet Clark. And from her estimation, it took ten minutes to walk to the park. Elizabeth sighed and discarded the notion of sightseeing; she was going to have to rush and beat around traffic and people if she wanted to make it in time.

She started making her way towards the direction of the park, and as soon as she reached the crosswalk, her phone rang. She dug in her bag and answered it as she followed the group crossing the street.

"Hello?"

"Elizabeth?" Elizabeth didn't recognize the number when she answered, but the deep tone on the other end gave her a good inclination as to who it was.

"Clark, hi! Sorry, I didn't recognize your number."

He chuckled. "It's alright. Um, actually, I called to tell you that I have some errands to make, so I'll be a little late in meeting you at the park. Is that alright?"

Elizabeth let out a breath in relief; she was afraid that Clark was calling to tell her that he couldn't make it at all. "Oh no, it's fine. I was actually going to take the walk to the park as my time to know Metropolis, but I ended up getting sidetracked and when you called I was actually rushing. Well, I suppose you're giving me time to explore," she said, laughing lightly.

"Take your time. I shouldn't take long."

"Well, take your time as well. If I get there before you, I'll wait for you at the entrance."

"Thank you. I have to get going now, but I'll call you later. Bye Elizabeth!"

"Bye Clark," Elizabeth replied, but the conversation was already cut off and she found it strange that Clark was aberrantly hasty. But that observation only added to multiple departures she occasionally caught during the day, which then furthered Clark's mysteriousness and Elizabeth's interest.

She decided not to dwell on that issue as she continued walking towards the park. Instead, she studied the scenery around her and memorized the route from her apartment to the park. All around her people were walking to and fro, ranging from big families to happy couples. She felt a smile tug her mouth, along with a slight pang of jealousy of everyone's time together. She was sure she looked slightly out of place going to the fair by herself.

Once Elizabeth made her way to the park, she joined the crowd slowly milling into through the entrance. Despite the early time, the park was already filled with noise and shuffling feet. As Elizabeth waited for Clark by the park's fountain, she watched the crowds of people pass her by.

Seemingly so, the more Elizabeth watched the inhabitants of Metropolis, her train of thought slowly trickled into the subject of Superman. She was positive that at least half of these people had read her article, and that all of them had at least one opinion about Superman. He was, after all, their protector—the one true thing that they can really rely on. Whether they praised or scorned him for it was their choice.

Elizabeth wondered how it would be like if she was like all the other citizens of Metropolis, how she would feel about Superman. Maybe she would take his protection for granted, or she would adore him for reasons all superficial. In either case, she would be just another person living in Metropolis, another person for him to protect.

Then, she wondered what it would be like if she never moved out here. She wouldn't know what it was like to witness the spectacle of Superman's actions everyday, and she wouldn't know the extent of glory these people had for Superman.

In either case, she wouldn't know Superman at all, as a person or just as a superhero. She wouldn't see that he was another person altogether, much less wondering if he preferred coffee over tea.

Elizabeth smiled and finalized her decision to move here with a small smile. She didn't resent making a drastic change in her life, as she gained new and interesting experiences. And to go further beyond the advantages that affect just her, Elizabeth was glad that she gave Superman the chance to talk with someone.

Drawing away from her thoughts, Elizabeth checked her watch and continued to watch the passing people. She was sure that there will be more people coming later in the day, and hoped that Clark was going to arrive soon so that they would be able to enjoy the fair instead of the people.

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth turned hearing her name being called, and saw Richard, Lois, and Jason walking toward her. She smiled at them and waved.

"Hey! It's nice to see you guys here," she said.

Richard nodded and laughed. "We needed to get away from work this weekend and," he paused as he ruffled Jason's hair, "this one's been begging us to take him."

Elizabeth smiled at Jason who looked as if he was going to break away from Lois' hold in any minute. "You excited about the fair, Jason?"

He nodded exuberantly, flinging his hair around. "Yes! Can we go now, guys?"

Lois looked at him. "Hold on for a little bit, Jason. You can wait a minute, can't you? It's not like the park is going to vanish in thin air." She then turned to Elizabeth. "Sorry, he's being impatient. It's his first time coming to this," she explained.

Elizabeth laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "Him and me both, but I think my excitement's a little more contained."

"Just a bit." Lois laughed and Elizabeth noted how more carefree and younger Lois looked out of her work environment. Nicer, too.

"Are you here by yourself, Elizabeth?" Richard asked her and she shook her head.

"Oh, no. I'm actually waiting for Clark. He's running a bit late this morning," she said.

"Not surprising," Lois commented with a smile. A second later, she raised a curious eyebrow. "Are you two on a _date_?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Hardly! I asked him to come with me so he can help me get to know this city better, and it's also a compensation for the mess I made earlier this week." She shrugged and blushed lightly at the embarrassing memory.

"Well, date or not, I hope you two have fun. As strange as it is thinking of Clark anywhere outside of the _Planet_, he needs fun," Richard said.

"Thanks."

Jason tugged on Lois' hand again, this time with impatience clear on his young face. "_Mommy_. Can we go please? Everyone else is going in!"

"Looks like you guys should go ahead," Elizabeth said. She didn't want Jason to wait any longer.

"I guess we should; we wouldn't want to keep Jason waiting now." Lois turned to her son. "Sweetheart, you'll get your chance to do everything, okay?"

Jason nodded and subdued his excitement. "Okay, mommy."

Both parents turned to Elizabeth. "Sorry we can't stay longer, Elizabeth. Maybe we'll see you and Clark later?" Richard asked, gesturing.

Elizabeth nodded. "I'll definitely try to look for you guys."

Lois nodded and adjusted her grip on Jason's hand. "We'll see you later."

"Bye."

"Bye Elizabeth."

"Bye Miss Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth smiled and ruffled Jason's hair lightly. "Bye Jason. Have fun today!"

She watched the family walk into the park, looking happy and complete. Thinking back on Lois' words about time and Superman, she saw that Lois looked really happy to be with Richard. The way he snuck glances at her when she wasn't looking was inclination of how deeply in love he was, and vice versa. Lois had an arm wrapped around his waist and was leaning into him with a look that only lovers shared. As a frequent observer of people, Elizabeth was well equipped with knowledge about body language and longing looks. That, and she was always searching for what love _looked_ like. That was something she wasn't quite experienced in.

The Lane-White family moved out of sight, leaving Elizabeth to waiting and watching again. She didn't mind; seeing all the different kinds of people congregate together for one day was sort of a way to experience Metropolis. People represent their home, and she's seen various types of Metropolis in the short while she's been in the city. The details of Metropolis were the people themselves, and Elizabeth's nature of exploring was prominent.

After fifteen minutes since Elizabeth arrived at the park, she began to wonder if something had happened to Clark. She was doubtless that he was the kind of man who would stand her up without giving notice. Despite being unsure about his harried phone call, Elizabeth believed that he would show up.

Another two minutes dragged by and Elizabeth's uneasiness was picking up momentum, along with the amount of people coming in through the park's wide entrance. She was beginning to find it difficult locating Clark through the masses of families.

Making a decision, Elizabeth took out her cell phone and searched for Clark's number. Just as she was about to push the 'Talk' button, a voice calling her name stopped her.

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth looked up and saw Clark quickly walking towards her, looking slightly out of breath. "Clark! There you are! I was getting worried," she said, relieved. She smiled as he stopped in front of her.

He looked bashful and offered an apologetic smile. "I'm extremely sorry; I didn't realize how long my errand would take."

Before he continued spewing out apologies and explanations, Elizabeth interrupted, "Clark, it's alright. You don't have to explain anything to me; I understand. I was just concerned that something happened to you."

Clark looked slightly surprised and stammered with his words. "Oh . . . no, I was—I'm fine. Thank you, for waiting."

Elizabeth shrugged and laughed lightly. "I wasn't going to go anywhere, Clark. You don't really seem like the kind of guy who wouldn't show up _after_ calling the person." She looked at him carefully. "Are you?"

He shook his head. "Of course not. I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world," he said with a smile.

The giddy girl in Elizabeth orchestrated the rapid pumping of her heart, and she fought to restrain the heated blush. "I wouldn't want you to miss it either," she said.

"So, shall we go ahead?"

She nodded with a grin. "We shall." Side by side, Clark and Elizabeth followed the growing mass of people into the park. Elizabeth scanned the scenery before her and smiled at the liveliness of everything.

"So tell me about this fair, Clark," Elizabeth requested, turning her head to look at her companion. When she looked at him, she noticed for the first time that Clark was dressed casually: he traded in his three piece suit for worn Metropolis University t-shirt, jeans, and a light jacket. It was a remarkable and drastic change from the usual garb that she was used to seeing him in. A delightful change, though.

Elizabeth forcibly willed herself to stop staring or else she would verge into the obvious, and continued, "How fun are these annual fairs?"

Clark chuckled sheepishly and placed his hands in his pockets. "Honestly, it's been years since I've last came to this," he confessed, and Elizabeth looked at him in surprise.

"Really?"

He nodded. "I've been really busy in the past few years."

"Oh. Well, no problem; we can enjoy this equally," Elizabeth said.

They took their time meandering through the booths and carnival games, moving along with the steady flow of people. Early in their walk they shared a comfortable silence, both enjoying the animated scene before them. The fair was reminiscent of Elizabeth's teenage years, and she was glad that the essence of festivities was still preserved.

After five minutes, Elizabeth's stray thoughts dispersed and she turned towards Clark, who was surveying the area. "Do you like Metropolis, Clark?"

"I do. The city is always full of life, so there isn't ever a break in anything. Though it may be hasty, it's still my home, and I've lived here for over ten years now. I have sort of a bias towards it, I suppose."

Elizabeth laughed. "I know what you mean. I like Metropolis too. More so because of the unity here; Metropolis really makes use of the word 'community.'"

Clark laughed. "We have a lot of patriotism."

They passed booths selling typical carnival food: fresh popped corn, cotton candy, funnel cakes. Elizabeth mused at how early they were selling these foods. "So you weren't raised here in Metropolis?"

He shook his head, and then pushed his glasses up. "No, I grew up in Smallville, Kansas," he replied, and Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at his answer.

"Kansas? No wonder why you're such a gentleman. They sure don't raise 'em like that in cities." She smiled at him. "So what is there to do in Smallville?"

Clark chuckled. "Not much. I lived on a farm, so that alone limited my resources of civil entertainment. But, because I lived on a farm, I had plenty of time and space to explore. So I wasn't totally devoid of some fun."

"I'd like to go to a farm one day. I've always wanted to get lost in a cornfield. Okay, not really lost, but I'd like to be in a cornfield. Or sunflowers. Preferably sunflowers," she said.

"I'm assuming you've always lived in an urban environment."

She nodded and reached out to feel the scarves that hung on a rack in a nearby booth. "I have. Cities are playgrounds themselves, but when I was younger, I would sometimes wish I didn't live in a place that was so populated, so . . . _loud_. I mean, I'm used to it now, but it's just one of those things that you'll always want to experience."

"If given the chance to 'experience' that quiet town scenery, what would you do?" Clark challenged.

Elizabeth bit her lip and thought about her answer. Clark's question made Elizabeth remember what she had told Superman, and she smiled. "I would see the stars."

Clark's deep laugh sounded familiar to Elizabeth, but nonetheless comforting. "Smallville is the ideal setting for stargazing."

"Is your family back in Smallville?"

"My mother," Clark said. Elizabeth detected the tone of sadness, much likely atoning to homesickness, which she could definitely relate to.

"Well, you have someone to go home to, and I bet that Smallville is the ideal setting for escaping the nonstop flow of life here," Elizabeth suggested.

"Is it, but I have an equal amount of admiration for both cities. Smallville allows you to take a deep breath and slow your life down, and Metropolis takes you into its fast pace, letting you witness all the lives within its skyscrapers and apartments."

Elizabeth gaped at him, awed at his profoundly descriptive words. "Wow, Clark. I'm envious," she said with a teasing smile.

He looked slightly baffled and chuckled nervously. "Don't be. You start to want one setting more than the other once you know how both feel like."

"Well, I'm the kind of person who's always wanted to travel the world; to know how snow feels when it's not frozen street water, or the humidity of a rainforest that's almost more refreshing than the rain here. I'd just like to _feel_ everything, even if it's one time. You know?" She sighed and looked up at him.

Clark returned her sentiment with a gentle smile. "I know."

Elizabeth sighed and after a moment, she smiled, grateful that Clark was so good about all the things she's told him. Her trust in him has grown so much in the past couple weeks, as well the feeling that's settled deep in her heart, growing more and more each day she spends with him. It was beginning to frighten Elizabeth, because as much as she's telling herself _not_ to feel that way towards Clark, she doesn't quell it.

For the moment, though, the unruly thoughts were lassoed back into their safe places as Elizabeth spotted a carnival game.

She unthinkingly grabbed Clark's arm and steered him in the direction. "Oh, Clark, look! I haven't seen one of these games since I was a teenager! You should try it out!"

Elizabeth veered Clark towards the Strength-O-Meter with a silly grin on her face.

The surprised and bumbling man laughed nervously as his companion pulled him along. "Uh, well, I don't think I'm strong enough for this, Elizabeth. I'd rather not embarrass myself."

Once they reached the area, Elizabeth let go of Clark's arm and stood watching the other men's attempts at proving their male strength by getting the marker to ring the bell at the top. Her feministic values were amending that women too were capable of the same capacity of strength, but Elizabeth's small stature kept her strayed from that line of thinking.

Besides, she knew that Clark was more than capable of getting that bell to ding, a fact proven by the subtle glances at his body during the high-noon work hours when his coat was shed. And it was a fact that had Elizabeth blushing now as she thought about what those clothes did to Clark's physique.

Clearing her throat, Elizabeth focused her attentions on the angry man who didn't quite reach the top of the bar and was now walking away from the game with his consoling girlfriend. She then looked up at Clark who stood next to her, watching the same couple walk away. She smiled at him.

"You sure you don't want to try it?"

He looked down at her and said, "Well, I don't kn—"

"Hey you two over there! Why don't you lovely people come on over and let the mister get a hit in," the game operator beckoned to Elizabeth and Clark.

Elizabeth and Clark's eyes widened as they concurrently tried to refuse.

"Oh, well, I don't really want to—" "I don't think he's up to—"

The man donned in a classic red and white striped uniform smirked and leveled his megaphone to his mouth, screaming, "All right everyone, we've got ourselves a new contender! Will he ring the bell, or is his strength in the ringer?"

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked up at Clark. "Um, I guess you have no choice?"

Clark shook his head with a chuckle. "I don't think it'd hurt to try," he said, flashing Elizabeth a smile.

"You sure?" she asked. "I mean, you shouldn't be pressured into doing this—peer pressure is so high these days—and these games are rarely won." Her eyes widened and she shook her hands at Clark. "Oh, not that I'm saying _you_ can't do it, but I've just never seen any guy win this, no matter how strong he is."

Clark was already walking towards the awaiting operator with a complacent smile set on his face, and Elizabeth hurried to keep in pace with him. He smiled down at Elizabeth.

"It's been a while since I've played this game, and I'd like to test my strength out. No worries; my ego will still be intact if I don't get it."

Elizabeth laughed and followed Clark. Once they reached the game, the game operator smiled widely at them.

"Welcome to the wonderful game that tests your strength! A dollar per strike, as many strikes you want to. So, what do ya say? You can win something nice for your lady friend," he said, winking in Elizabeth's direction.

Elizabeth pursed her lips at his accusation and glanced at Clark. He seemed nonplussed as he pulled a dollar out from his wallet and exchanged it for a mallet. He raised his eyebrows at Elizabeth who in turn raised hers with a grin and a thumbs up.

She watched anxiously as Clark stepped in front of the towering machine, taking a deep breath before raising the mallet and striking at the target. The marker went up in between the points 'Not so Puny' and 'Somewhat Strong' before coming back down in an anticlimactic drop. She smiled at Clark's valiant effort, even though he only went halfway up. She wasn't expecting him to do something that only a bodybuilder could do . . . or Superman.

The operator laughed and patted Clark's shoulder. "Don't be so down, bud; since my ten years of running this thing, I've only seen ten guys ring that bell."

A bystander waiting for his turn for the game hooted out a laugh and they all turned to look at him.

"What, a guy as big as you is can't even hit up to the 'Strong' mark? What a joke!"

Elizabeth scowled and opened her mouth to throw a scathing remark at the young man, but before she could get a word out, Clark surprised her by pulling another dollar from his pocket and handing it to the man, who looked as astonished as she was.

Clark's gentle smile never left his face, but it was now toned with a pointed look of determination. Elizabeth shut her mouth and watched him, awed at Clark's resolution.

"I think I'll try that again," he said calmly, and Elizabeth felt the childish urge to stick her tongue out at the man behind them.

The operator gestured to the game with a smile. "Go ahead."

"You can do it, Clark!"

He gave Elizabeth a bright smile that had her heart pumping a little faster before taking a few more moments than his first try. When he held the mallet this time, Elizabeth noticed that it looked very light in his hands, a stark difference from the difficulty for the other men she's seen; she knew that it couldn't have weighed less than fifteen pounds.

Clark lightly tapped the matted target once, and then drew his arms back, bringing the mallet down with an exceedingly greater amount of force. Elizabeth, Clark, the game operator, and the young man behind them all watched the marker's ascent, watching as it soared past all the lower levels, past his first try, all the way up until it came to a stop with a reverberating 'ding'.

Elizabeth beamed and laughed. "Clark, you hit it! Oh my gosh, you hit it all the way!"

He handed the mallet back to the operator and pushed his glasses up his nose, the modest but wide smile back in its previous position. "Wow," he said, "I never knew I was that strong."

Elizabeth laughed. "Well, you must work out or do some heavy lifting daily."

He shrugged lightly. "It's all those years on the farm," he said.

She nodded. "Or that."

"Well I'll be damned," the game machinist said, amazement clearly etched in his voice. Elizabeth and Clark looked at him. "I knew you were strong underneath that whole humble nonsense. Well, congratulations! You're the first person this year to hit the mark; you may pick any prize you want." He waved his arms toward the shelves behind him all stocked with the usual carnival prizes.

Clark immediately turned to Elizabeth. "What prize would you like, Elizabeth?"

She raised her brows and shook her head at him. "Oh, no Clark! You go and pick something out for yourself, you deserved it."

He smiled and the familiar contention was beginning to surface. "You were the one who suggested that I even play it. Besides, I wouldn't really know what to do with a big stuffed animal; take it as your first souvenir from your first Centennial Fair," he argued and Elizabeth sighed, conceding to his persistence.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Alright then." She looked at the various prizes and weighed each of their value. "Um, I think I'll take a goldfish," she said, pointing to the bags of goldfish.

The man took a goldfish and handed it to Clark, who in turn gave it to Elizabeth. She laughed and raised the bag up, peering at the lone fish. "Thank you, Clark."

"You're welcome."

They turned to leave, but before they left, Elizabeth noticed the gaping man standing there, so she threw a dollar at him and smirked. "Your first one's on me."

Once Clark and Elizabeth were back in the flow of the crowd, Elizabeth smiled at him. "That made me feel so much younger!" She laughed. "Even if I wasn't the one who played, it was still so exhilarating to see you win it."

"I'm still quite surprised at my strength," he said. Elizabeth couldn't help herself as she glanced at his cloaked arms, musing over the lines of muscles he possessed.

"I am as well. So, any other surprises I should know about?"

He chuckled quietly and gave Elizabeth a charming and mischievous grin. "They wouldn't be surprises if I told you, would they?"

She flicked her wrist. "Oh, technicalities. No worries; the element of surprise is one of the things I love."

Suddenly, in an act of surprising swiftness, Clark gently took hold of Elizabeth's elbows and swerved her away from the oncoming cart that she had not been anticipating, as she had been peering at the neighboring booths.

They never stopped their walk, but as soon as he was sure Elizabeth had her balance settled, Clark let go of her arms. "Are you alright?"

Elizabeth laughed sheepishly and brushed a hand through her hair. "Yeah. Thanks Clark. I really should've seen that coming. I'm so bad with being attentive sometimes, which is kind of ironic seeing as how my job consists of me being attentive," she said quickly, rambling her embarrassment away. Her face flushed as she realized her clumsiness even with words.

"We all have our moments."

She shook her head. "Apparently. Thanks again for being there, Clark."

He smiled warmly and Elizabeth felt her trust in him surge. "I'm always here."

* * *

By midday, they had immersed themselves in the carnival theme and entertained themselves with various carnival games and merchandise booths. Elizabeth had especially enjoyed the booth dedicated to Superman paraphernalia, and giggled at the superman coasters.

"Do you mind me asking why you moved here to Metropolis?" Clark asked while they were walking after lunch.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Back in Chicago, my life had been monotonous. I did the same, routine things everyday and though they were all good and safe things, it clogged up my life little by little until it got to the point where I dreaded going to work because everything was the same. When I applied for the job here at the Planet, it was on a whim, so I didn't really expect to get the job."

"So you didn't expect to leave?"

"No."

"Why didn't you leave before, when things started being mundane?"

Elizabeth sighed and glanced at the family they were passing. "I needed a reason to leave everything that I had established for the past many years. As much as it weighed me down, I couldn't leave my family just like that." She then chuckled. "It was them who convinced me to move. I guess they knew how unhappy I was there, excluding them."

"Are you happy here?"

The implication of question seemed to hold a much bigger meaning to Elizabeth and she took her time answering it, thinking of her short time here and all that she's already experienced. Despite her present need to settle down in this city of night and day, her answer resounded in her mind.

She smiled brightly at Clark. "I am. I'm glad and…relieved that I moved here."

"I'm glad you're here as well," Clark added, and Elizabeth felt the oncoming heat of a blush.

They walked aimlessly in silence and Elizabeth was busy thinking about things when she was violently torn as she heard a distant cry.

"Mommy! I see her!"

Elizabeth heard the sound of a child's voice and something startled her into believing its familiar tone. The verity of her conjectures increased as she heard the adult voice following the child's.

"Parker! Parker, get back here!"

Elizabeth halted her steps, bringing Clark to a stop as well. Clark faced her with concern etched on his face.

"Elizabeth, is something wrong? Why did you sto—" His sentence was cut short as he immediately looked behind Elizabeth.

She looked up at Clark and in her already confused stupor she wondered why he suddenly stopped talking. He wasn't looking at her, rather, at something behind her shoulder, and she started to turn her head to follow the direction of his gaze.

Before Elizabeth could fully turn her head, she felt a small weight barrel into her legs. With her heart ramming into her chest, Elizabeth looked down and was shocked to see the familiar mess of brown hair. Her previous guesses proved right and she immediately bent down to inspect the little boy standing in front of her.

"Parker!" she exclaimed, holding his face gently in her hands in her disbelief. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?!" she asked.

Parker peered up at Elizabeth with wide and excited eyes. "We wanted to surprise you! Are you surprised?"

Elizabeth laughed and brushed her hand through his hair. "I am. But how . . . when did you arrive?"

"We got here this morning. We were on our way to your apartment, but Parker got sidetracked by all that was going on here. And . . . here we are," someone answered for him, causing Elizabeth to look up at her younger sister.

She rose and smiled at her sister, giving her a hug. "Charlotte! Why are you here?"

Charlotte grinned and gestured to Parker who had Elizabeth's hand in his grip. "Someone missed you, and we decided that we couldn't wait two more weeks to see you."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply, but Charlotte was looking at her with a pointed expression, raising her eyebrows expectedly. Elizabeth frowned, and then suddenly remembered a certain man patiently waiting behind them.

"Oh my goodness!" She turned around and saw Clark standing with a small smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. "I'm so sorry, Clark! I forgot you were there!"

With a hand waving in Charlotte's direction, Elizabeth introduced her unexpected guests to Clark. "Charlotte, this is Clark Kent."

Clark smiled genially and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Charlotte."

Charlotte returned his gesture with a bright grin. "Likewise."

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth put a hand on Parker's head and smiled softly. "And this is Parker."

Hoping that Clark wouldn't deem her disgraceful or be slighted with her newfound fact, she continued, ". . . my son."


	6. Homecoming

**Author's Note:** Wellllllll it's been a while, huh? Excuse me while I hang my head in shame. I was passing through my page and when I saw that it has been well over a _year_ since I updated this story, the gears went into overdrive. I'm absolutely horrible with updating, really, _really_ bad. But hopefully this chapter is good enough; I've been working on this chapter for most of the year.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Superman.

* * *

**Chapter VI : _Homecoming  
_**

* * *

Elizabeth held onto Parker's hand and carefully watched Clark's face. She knew she should've told him about her son when they first met, but she wasn't ready for rejection, especially from Clark. It was hard as it was starting a new job as well as a new life, so slinging along her personal burdens wasn't going to salve the salutations. Though, she realized that it wouldn't have made a difference if she introduced Parker to their new life then. It was just her selfish fear that held her back.

Now, she knew that there was nothing else she could do or say. His existence was important in her life, and sooner or later that fact would leak into _this_ life.

To Elizabeth's delightful surprise, Clark smiled warmly at Parker.

"Hello Parker. It's very nice to meet you." He knelt down and held out his hand. "I'm Clark, your mommy's friend."

Parker glanced back at Elizabeth and she nodded, gently pushing him forward. Parker put his hand in Clark's much larger one and shook it with his tiny strength. "Hello."

"So I hear you got distracted by the fair. Do you like it so far?" Clark asked with a bright smile.

Parker nodded with a grin. "I want to ride all the rides, but Aunt Charlotte told me to wait until we saw mommy." His smile brightened considerably as he looked back at Elizabeth. "And you're here mommy! Can I go on the rides then?"

Elizabeth laughed at how easy it was for Parker to get over his shyness. "Sweetie, you just got here! Don't you miss me at least a tiny bit?"

Parker giggled. "'Course I do, mommy. But can we go on the rides later?"

Elizabeth glanced at Charlotte. "You'll have to ask your Aunt first. I'm sure she'll want to take you."

He nodded. After a few seconds, Elizabeth was about to suggest that they go get something to eat so they can continue their introductions when Parker tentatively tugged on her hand.

"Mommy?" he quietly asked.

She looked down at Parker, resettling into the maternal habit of answering his many questions. "Mhm?"

He looked around distractedly before looking back at her. "When can I meet Superman?"

Of all the questions he could ask her, that specific inquiry certainly was not one of them. Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up and she looked at Clark, who was smiling amusedly. She turned back to Parker. "Parker, where did this sudden interest in Superman come from?"

"Aunt Charlotte showed me the story you wrote about him and then she helped me look him up. I didn't know that there was a real life superhero; I thought they were only in games and the toys I played. Can I meet him?" His eyes were wide with excitement and Elizabeth laughed.

"Well, I'm not sure where he is right now, Parker. You're going to have to wait to see him, honey. Superman is a very busy man," she told him.

Parker pouted slightly but nodded his acquiesce. "Okay mommy. But _will_ I be able to see him one day?"

Clark answered him. "Of course you will, Parker. He's never too busy to have a little fun." He winked and Parker smiled.

Elizabeth turned to Charlotte with a raised eyebrow. "You got him into Superman?"

Charlotte laughed and shrugged. "I only showed him your story. It was all Parker looking for every story covered on Superman afterwards. He's really impressed by him—well, by the pictures he's seen. I think it's the shock of seeing a man in tights."

"I'll say," Elizabeth laughed. Her smile softened as the solidity of Parker and Charlotte's presence in Metropolis—especially Parker. "I'm so glad you brought him, Charlotte."

"I know how hard it is for you to be away from him for so long, and one more month is too long for both of you. I decided that enough was enough, and figured you had everything all set. Plus, I know you love surprises." She laughed.

Elizabeth grinned. "Thanks."

Clark had been quietly standing next to them the whole time, and Elizabeth turned to include him in their conversation when she was sharply drawn away.

"Mommy!" Parker suddenly cried out and pulled her hand forward. "Mommy I want to go there!"

"Where?" Elizabeth followed the direction of his finger and laughed at where he was pointing to. Parker's keen eyes had sought out the same booth she had been amused by.

"I'll take him," Charlotte offered. "Before Parker saw you we were about to find something to eat. We got distracted, as you can see. So you guys go and find us a table and then we'll be back with some hotdogs, or funnel cake." She took hold of Parker's hand and looked at Clark. "You don't mind hotdogs or funnel cakes do you Clark?"

Clark's eyes widened in surprise for a quick moment before he smiled kindly. "Not at all."

Charlotte grinned and waved before addressing Parker, "Alright, you little Superman fan. Let's go see what goodies you can carry in your hands."

"Hey! Don't let him buy the whole booth, Charlotte!" Elizabeth called out. Charlotte waved without looking back. "Seeing him on a weekly basis is crazy enough; I don't want him thinking I'm stalking him, or something," she muttered, wincing at the thought.

Clark chuckled amusingly and raised his eyebrows curiously. "A weekly basis?"

Elizabeth blushed and realized her slip. "Oh. . . ." She sheepishly smiled. "After my interview with him was published, he came back to my balcony to tell me that he read and liked it . . . as well as to talk." She laughed. "Honestly, I never expected him to think another thought about me after that story. But I took your advice, Clark."

"Advice?"

Elizabeth located a picnic table and she started steering them towards it. "Yeah, when you told me to just talk to him. And I did that. He apparently found someone in me to talk to."

"Did you not want him to talk to you?" Clark asked, and Elizabeth realized how worded her amazement.

"Oh, no I—he's _Superman_, you know?" She laughed and he smiled. "I was getting over the shock of the interview as well as the reaction it got, and then suddenly he was there again. But I was glad because I was someone whom he could talk for the sake of talking. I never realized how lonely it could be for a guy like him."

Clark nodded slowly, following Elizabeth to the table. They sat down side by side, facing the open areas. "From what I can tell Elizabeth, it seems like he's really found a friend in you."

Her smile was small, but it was heartwarming. "He deserves to be happy."

After a moment, Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head. "Wow. Who could've known that I was going to move here in Metropolis as a total newcomer only to befriend the core of the city's heart?"

Clark chuckled. "It's funny how things work out."

They sat together in silence, though the tension was slightly tangible. Elizabeth reclaimed their lighthearted tone, but the silence brought the fact that Elizabeth's child was only yards away. She knew she to explain _something_ to Clark, and she was scrambling to find a reasonable onset when Clark cleared his throat and spoke up.

"So . . ." he glanced in the direction of the Superman booth where Parker was eagerly browsing for souvenirs, "you have a son."

Though his statement semantically seemed accusing, he sounded quite the opposite. But that didn't stop Elizabeth from flushing from embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Clark. I knew I should've said something early—"

"Elizabeth, it's no problem," he assured her. Elizabeth found it hard to distrust his gentle smile. "I understand your part as a mother."

"I hated leaving him behind when I first moved out here. This is the first time he's ever moved, and I didn't want to move him to a whole new place without at least familiarizing myself. He depends so much on me sometimes, and when I found myself alone and miserable the first few weeks, I realized that I depend on him so much as well.

"I didn't want him to see me struggling to keep up with things, because I know he would've automatically blamed himself." She saw him trying on a hat and smiled ruefully. "He's really good at reading me. I know it's so motherly and gushy for me to say this, but I really don't know what I'd do without him. He likes thinking that he can protect me, and I don't have the heart to refuse that mindset."

Clark was thoughtful for a minute, taking in Elizabeth's careful wording around any mention of a paternal figure. "And his father?"

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked down at her left hand, which hosted no ring. "Is nonexistent."

Clark looked at her with a confused expression. "How do you mean?"

"Parker's father was never in his life. And truthfully, I'm glad he never was. Derek was a good guy . . . in the beginning. I met him the summer before my last year of college, and after we've been together a while I really planned on marrying him. But, things changed. Before we graduated, he got accepted to law school the same time I got pregnant. I told him when I found out, since he obviously was partially responsible, but he was truly conflicted between his child and his career. And, that was it."

Clark's expression was lost between bewilderment and anger. "That's it? He didn't care about having a child?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I knew that if he had to really think about which was more important to him, that baby wasn't it. He left me fifty thousand dollars for the baby, along with an apology and a goodbye. I haven't heard from him since then."

"Oh, geez, I'm so sorry Elizabeth! What a horrible thing to do!"

"It was really hard at first because I was set on going to grad school. My parents and Charlotte tried talking me out of it, to focus on raising Parker first, but it was my intention on getting my career started so I _could_ take care of the baby; I wasn't going to touch the money Derek left—if anything, that was going to be Parker's education money. I finally consented and set aside school; luckily I was hired at the _Tribune_ when I was six months pregnant, albeit I was assigned a secretarial position. I think they hired me partially because of my condition."

"You're a strong woman, Elizabeth. To do all that by yourself."

She laughed off his compliment, but she was flushed by the way he was looking at her. "I don't regret my decisions. After all, everything led me here: to Metropolis, the _Daily Planet_, meeting Superman, and . . . you."

Clark flushed slightly and Elizabeth was elated at her flattering effect.

He glanced back at Parker and smiled. "Parker really likes Superman, huh?" he asked.

"He's embracing true Metropolis lifestyle. He was bound to be aware of Superman existence at one point; I just never expected it to be before he even lived here. For a six year old, he is very persistent and inquisitive."

"Not a bad start for a future reporter," Clark commented with a cheeky grin.

Elizabeth laughed and waved her hand. "Oh no; I see Parker in med school, or doing something in the arts."

By the time Charlotte and Parker returned, Elizabeth felt more settled knowing that Clark was so accepting towards Parker. Well, it wasn't really expected of him to be anything but genial but nonetheless, Elizabeth was glad that he didn't shove her off for being a single mother. Now she had the rest of the newsroom to worry about.

But for the meantime, she was content with being reunited with her child, content with being who she is first and foremost—a mother. She watched with a soft smile as Parker showed his new purchases to Clark, who was as equally interested as Parker was in them.

"And see! I can move his arms to make him look like he's flying!" His eyes glowed in excitement. "Can Superman really fly?" he asked, his wonder magnified by his new toys.

Clark chuckled and nodded. "He sure does, Parker."

Parker's little mouth collapsed into an 'O' as he looked down at the icon of his new fascination.

Elizabeth ruffled his hair. "What else did you buy kiddo?" she prompted, gesturing to the small pile on the picnic table.

Parker eagerly grabbed at his next item, proudly showing it off with accompanying questions to mirror his interest.

With Parker and Clark immersed in Parker's new toys, Elizabeth turned to face Charlotte who was sitting across the table. Her younger sister was watching her with a knowing glint in her eye that caused Elizabeth's eyes to narrow.

"What?" she mouthed.

Charlotte grinned and openly pointed her gaze at the back of the man sitting next to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but the small smile she had on her face didn't refute her sister's subtle accusations. Before Charlotte could question anything else, Elizabeth sent her a knowing look. "Later," she silently said and proceeded to pick a piece of funnel cake and eat it.

"Mom and Dad say hi," Charlotte said, switching topics.

Elizabeth smiled fondly at the mention of her parents, whom she's been meaning to call lately. "How are they?"

"Probably glad to have time for them again."

Elizabeth started to apologize for taking so long. "If Parker was too much for them to handle then they should've said something. I would've picked him up earlier."

Charlotte laughed. "Who said anything about Parker taking up all their time?"

At her sister's implication, Elizabeth laughed along. "Charlotte! What are you doing to them?"

"Nothing. As much time as I spend with Parker, I'm spending it with them too."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You just moved out of their house two years ago. You honestly think they missed you that much to want to see you everyday?"

Parker, now done with describing his new toys, had overheard his mother and aunt, and pulled himself on the bench between Elizabeth and Clark. "I heard Grandma and Grandpa talking one day, and they were saying how Aunt Charlotte only comes by to eat their food," he said, with disregard for the reaction of the adults as he began eating the funnel cake in front of him.

Elizabeth looked at him then raised a brow at Charlotte. "Oh did they? Are you using my son as an excuse to steal mom and dad's food?"

Charlotte shrugged with an impish grin. "Parker helps me sneak cookies from the cookie jar."

Parker's eyes widened and he froze in the middle of placing the pastry in his now wide mouth. "Aunt Charlotte! You promised you wouldn't tell mommy!"

Elizabeth frowned at him. "Parker, what did I say about hiding secrets from me?"

His bottom lip jutted out and paired with the powdered sugar moustache, his expression was irresistible to scolding. "I miss your cookies, mommy. Grandma only lets me have one!"

Elizabeth smiled and wiped at his cheeks. "We'll make more, I promise."

"Can we give some to Superman?"

She sighed at his persistence at seeing the aloof superhero. "Honey, I don't know when I'll see him again."

"Well maybe next time when he says hi to you, you can invite him to stay and then we'll make some for him!"

"Do you know what his favorite cookies are, Parker?" Clark asked, gently breaking into their conversation.

Parker shook his head. "What are they?"

"Peanut butter."

Parker's nose wrinkled. "Yuck! I only like peanut butter with jelly!"

"He also likes to drink milk. I suppose if you want to be strong like him, you should drink more, huh?" Elizabeth asked.

"Superman drinks milk? Wow mommy, that's why he's so strong!" He gazed up at her in wonder.

She laughed a little, but she couldn't break Parker's naivety. It was going to be difficult explaining Superman's detailed physique to a six year old. "Yes. So you better start drinking your milk, young man."

Parker's head swiveled and he peered up at Clark. "I bet you drink milk too Clark! You look strong!"

In his customary modesty, Clark smiled and rearranged his glasses. "Yes, I drink milk everyday."

Remembering their token of Clark's strength, Elizabeth reached next to her and grabbed the plastic bag, placing it on the table. "And look what he's won with that strength," she said, throwing Clark a grin.

Parker excitedly grabbed onto the bag. "Wow, a goldfish!"

"A goldfish, huh? How did you win that, Clark?" Charlotte asked interestedly with raised eyebrows.

When Clark flushed and fumbled for an answer, Elizabeth spoke up. "Can you believe he hit the bell of the Strength-O-Meter?" She smiled proudly and Clark chuckled humbly.

Charlotte's eyes widened as she looked Clark over. "Seriously?" He nodded. "I tried that once, and that mallet is way too heavy for me to lift. Wow Clark, I'm impressed."

"Thank you."

"So what are you going to name it, Parker?" Elizabeth asked.

Green eyes looked up at her in shock. "You mean I can have it, mommy?"

She laughed and rubbed his back. "Of course! Clark won the goldfish for me, but I think you'll like it better than me."

"Thanks mommy! Thanks Clark!" He frowned in thought for a minute before a bright smile emerged. "I'll name it Moon!"

Elizabeth half-expected him to christen the fish after his new idol, but smiled and nodded. "Moon it is."

"If you'll excuse me, I have to find the restroom," Clark said, rising from the table.

Elizabeth nodded, smiling up at him. "Go ahead. We'll be here."

After he left and was out of earshot, Charlotte beamed. "Okay, spill."

"Spill what? There's nothing to spill."

Charlotte scoffed. "Don't you dare feign innocence. You like Clark, don't you?"

Elizabeth had two options: to accede to Charlotte's persistence and finally openly admit what she's been trying to understand for a while, or she could deny it and try to tolerate Charlotte's persistence. She chose the easiest path.

With a slow sigh she nodded, deftly ignoring Charlotte's smirk. "Yes, I do."

Parker peered up at his mother. "You like Clark, mommy? I like him too!"

Elizabeth laughed and leaned forward to press a kiss on his head. "He's a nice guy, huh?"

"_How_ nice is he, Liz?"

Elizabeth widened her eyes at her sister. "Charlotte, shut it! I may like him, but it's not anything to _act_ on. I doubt he feels the same way. It's hardly been two months."

"That means nothing. I bet he thinks of you a lot more than you assume," she said.

Elizabeth poked her fork at the funnel cake and tried not to think of the possibility of that happening. She was slowly but surely tumbling into some feeling that was unfamiliar and thrilling at the same time. Frankly, it was scaring her because it was causing her to have a slow-coming uncertainty settle upon her like a thick blanket. Granted, it was all very nice supposing the way Clark made her feel when he smiled at her and looked at her so, but now with the arrival of Parker, she wasn't sure it was best to be selfish right now.

"I don't know, Charlotte. No matter what I feel, the timing's not right. I just moved here, the unpacking is _still_ not finished, and I have Parker with me now. I don't see any time in there for some silly . . . crush," she told her sister, though it seemed oddly as if she was giving reason to herself.

Charlotte didn't look convinced, but complied if only for her sister's sanity. "Liz, this is why I didn't send Parker off to you in some FedEx box. You need help around here and I'm going to stay until everything's done."

Elizabeth looked at her in astonishment. "You're staying? Charlotte, you can't do that. What about your job back home?"

Her younger sister laughed lightly. "I quit that job three weeks ago. I had better things to do than sit at that receptionist's desk eight hours a day. Also, I know how lonely you've been for the past couple months, which is why you have both Parker _and_ me to keep you company."

Elizabeth's first thought was to refute her sister again, but she held back and thought about the proposition. It had, in fact, been a while since she's seen any of her family, and it was especially pressing for a mother to be away from her son. And along with Parker's stay here, she would need extra time she didn't have to settle him in. It'd be nice to have someone to help.

She also missed her sister dearly, and the thought of her staying here indefinitely with them wasn't such a bad thought after all.

She smiled gratefully. "You'd do that?"

"Well, what else would I do? You're my sister, and you know I'd do anything for you. And Parker's my favorite nephew," she added with a wink towards the aforementioned boy.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Aunt Charlotte, I'm your _only_ nephew."

She ruffled his hair. "Which is why you're my favorite."

Elizabeth exhaled and finally reveled in the presence of her son and sister. "I'm so glad you guys are here."

Parker twisted around and wrapped his arms snugly around her. "I missed you a lot, mommy. When we go to our new house, can I sleep with you?"

She didn't see any other choice in that matter, seeing as how the farthest she's come along with him room was stacking all the boxes that held all his furniture. "I missed you too sweetie. More than the most gigantic whale in the world! And sure you can sleep with me; I've missed the protection from my little man."

Parker giggled and let go of Elizabeth. "It's okay mommy; you didn't need me to protect you."

She peered down at him with a quizzical look. "Oh? And why's that?"

Parker gave her a no-nonsense look. "Because _Superman_ is here, and he can protect you from anything!"

_Oh, we're back to that_, Elizabeth thought as she gave Charlotte a sharp look. Charlotte shrugged with a cheeky smile. "Yeah honey, I guess he has been protecting me, in a way. And now that you're here, I get double the protection, huh?"

Charlotte _hmphed _and sat forward with a sly glint in her eye. "I don't suppose you mean 'double' by the way Superman is built, do you?"

Elizabeth stared at her oddly. "What?"

"He really is something else," Charlotte commented and Elizabeth noticed her sister's eyes shift in a different direction, past Elizabeth.

It took Elizabeth about two seconds to realize what Charlotte was talking about, and her eyes widened.

It couldn't be . . .

"Is he . . .?" she started to ask, but trailed off in mute wonder.

Parker, who had figured out what was going on by the loud commotion the other carnival goers were making, turned around in his mother's arms only to find the one and only Superman standing in the clearing a few yards away from him surrounded by a mass of people.

"Superman!" he shouted in his utmost glee, launching out of the circle of Elizabeth's arms and towards the hero who was smiling humbly at his aficionados.

Elizabeth sighed at the total irony of it all. Charlotte laughed.

"He saves the world by strutting his stuff in carnivals." She whistled. "I can't believe you were so close to a man who looks like that. Why didn't you tell me he looked so _good_, Liz?"

Elizabeth scrunched up her nose. "Because it's completely irrelevant."

"Irrelevant, but true . . . you didn't deny it, Liz."

She rolled her eyes and gestured towards Superman. "How can I deny _that_? What man in his right mind would wear skintight clothes?"

"He seems to have no problem with it."

Elizabeth quickly switched her gaze to Parker, who was now in the throng of the quickly crowding children around Superman. Despite his towering stature above the children, his features were patient and gentle, and it only garnered the attention of more people. He had a bright and gentle smile on his face, and Elizabeth could clearly see that he enjoyed the presence of these children.

The crowd started to grow with excitement thrumming all around, and once Parker's form started to meld into the shapes of legs Elizabeth had no choice but to go to him. "Charlotte, stay here," she told her sister as she stood from the table.

When she reached him he turned excitedly to her and asked, "Mommy, that's Superman?"

Elizabeth laughed at his awed expression. Of course Superman's physical presence would far exceed all pictures Parker's seen of him. "Yes, that's Superman."

The man in question was busy entertaining the crowd and Elizabeth noticed that he was subtly avoiding the adults, keeping his attention on the children jumping at his feet.

Elizabeth then realized that this was the first time she's seen him in the daylight. The darkness of the night kept him in the shadows most of the time giving his demeanor a secret tone, but here in the sun he looked kind and inviting, his eyes bluer and his smile warmer. Though Elizabeth liked him the same either time of the day, she saw how truly _handsome_ he was. And she knew her blush couldn't be hidden in the sun.

She meant to bring Parker back to the table, to keep Superman from seeing her and Parker together but he turned and saw her, either due to recognition or Parker's outcry of his name. She stood frozen, thinking only that she'd been caught and that he could hear her pounding heart as he walked across the wide breach towards her and Parker.

His eyes crinkled slightly and she recognized the change in his expression. It was slight, but it was intimate and Elizabeth knew that he knew. The fact that he didn't look surprised or angry only pushed her heart rate faster.

Superman stopped before them and greeted Elizabeth. "Hello."

Despite being nervous that Superman discovered her son, Elizabeth couldn't help being struck by their actual meeting in public. She gave a small smile and softly replied, "Hi."

Elizabeth knew it would only rouse attention to gossipers if she divulged to the public the exact nature of their association, so she decided to not show that she knew him as the man he was and instead acted as if she saw the superhero everyone else did.

Of course Superman knew this too, so he looked at Elizabeth for a second longer before bending down in front of Parker. "Well hello there young man. Are you enjoying the carnival today?"

Parker nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I bought a toy of you!"

Superman laughed and Elizabeth felt the familiar rumbling in her chest. "Did you? I didn't know they made action figures of me. I hope toy Superman isn't stronger than me!"

Parker shook his head. "No way! You're the strongest person ever! You're my favorite hero Superman! I want to be strong like you!"

Superman smiled down at Parker. "Thank you. Even if you can't be the strongest person on the outside, you can be the strongest on the inside." He pointed to Parker's chest. "In your heart. So always stand tall, okay?"

Parker beamed up at him and nodded. "Okay Superman. I will!" Elizabeth felt and saw Parker's immediate posture change and smiled.

He started moving away but before he moved to the next family, he glanced at Elizabeth and she nodded in answer to his silent question of seeing her later. Then, he was talking to a little girl and Elizabeth was bringing Parker back to the table.

Charlotte welcomed them back with an amused look on her face. After Parker climbed back onto the wooden bench, she asked, "So how was Superman, Parker?"

"Awesome! He's so nice! And tall."

Elizabeth reclaimed her seat and ignored Charlotte's insinuating look.

"Did Superman remember you, Liz?"

"Maybe, I don't know. Probably," she lied. She knew she'd eventually tell Charlotte of her conversations with Superman, but she couldn't risk it with him only fifty feet away.

There was a shift in the crowd's volume and they turned to see Superman already flying away. Charlotte laughed.

"I think it'll be pretty interesting living here," she commented after Parker's shout of, "Wow!"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Hey, Clark missed out on seeing Superman."

"He's met him before. I'm sure it wouldn't have been that much of a sight for Clark," Elizabeth said.

"Clark's tall like Superman!" Parker casually pointed out as he directed the action figure Superman to throw a punch to an invisible foe.

Charlotte raised a brow. "He kinda looks like him."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, dismissing the notion of Clark, humble, clumsy, sweet Clark as a superhero though not completely removing it from her mind. She was a journalist after all, and it was her nature to keep details for further investigation. But now, she couldn't see the match. "A lot of guys look like Superman."

"Yeah, and I think Clark's more good looking."

"Really?"

"Maybe because he's got that shy, 'I'm so modest but that's my charm and I bet I have something underneath all this' thing going on. Plus, he looks good in glasses."

Laughing along, Elizabeth couldn't help but agree with her sister's claim that Clark _did_ look good with glasses. Granted, she's never seen him without them on, but they appealed to him better.

Clark returned to the table a five minutes later with a sheepish smile. "Sorry it took so long. The lines were endless."

"You missed out on such a sight, Clark. Superman just left."

Clark's eyes widened a bit. "Did he? Man, I haven't seen him in person in a while." He turned his smile down towards Parker. "Did you get to meet him, Parker?"

Parker's eyes glinted and he punctuated his excitement with a bob of his head. "He's awesome!"

Elizabeth passed a hand over Parker's head. "I didn't expect Parker to meet Superman so soon. Now he really has his excitement peaked."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "He was bound to see him sooner or later."

"So what do you think of Superman, Charlotte?" Clark casually asked.

She shrugged then grinned. "I think he fits his suit really well."

Clark flushed and Elizabeth laughed. "You and about every other woman here in Metropolis."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So that means you think so too, Liz?"

Elizabeth tried to fight down her blush. "I'm not going to answer that." She didn't want to admit to her sister that she did think Superman as an attractive man, but more so she didn't want to admit that in front of Clark.

Clearing her throat, Elizabeth started clearing the table. "Well, now that you guys are here, I think I really need to start setting the apartment up."

Both Charlotte and Clark gave her surprised looks. "You haven't unpacked everything?" Charlotte asked, slinging her purse over her shoulder and grabbing one of Parker's paraphernalia.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I've been really busy, and I was going to do it before you and Parker were originally supposed to come." She made a mental sweep of what wasn't unpacked and groaned. "Great, Parker's bed isn't even assembled."

"I'm going to help you, Liz, but I can't tomorrow, since I kind of snagged an interview."

Charlotte's words made Elizabeth momentarily snap out of her housekeeping daze. "What? You got an interview already? Why didn't you tell me? Where?" she quickly asked, gathering an amused smile from Clark and an eye roll from her sister, who was used to Elizabeth's quick questioning.

"Well I _told_ you that I was planning on staying here sort of indefinitely, so I planned ahead. It's with this graphic arts company, and I wanted to wait to tell you."

Elizabeth broke out into a smile and hugged Charlotte. "This is great! I'm so proud of you!"

When they pulled apart Clark smiled at the younger of the Sanders sisters. "Congratulations, Charlotte."

"Thanks Clark. This calls for a celebratory dinner, my treat. And you're invited, Clark." She raised an eyebrow at him, ignoring Elizabeth's sharp glance.

Clark smiled with an apologetic look on his face. "Thank you for the invite, but unfortunately I have work to complete. Actually"—he checked his watch—"I should be getting going, but I'm available if you need help unpacking tomorrow, Elizabeth."

Charlotte signaled with wide eyes and a less than conspicuous "yes" being mouthed behind Clark. Elizabeth refrained from making a face and smiled at him. "That would be perfect, Clark. Thank you so much for offering. It was either have me attempt at moving heavy furniture around, or have moving people help and exhaust my already slim wallet."

He grinned. "Great! Just give me a call whenever you're ready."

Elizabeth nodded. "I will. So then . . . I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She moved forward the same time as Clark, but in that split second before impulsively hugging him goodbye, she moved away and lifted her hand in a semi-wave. Clark was just as awkward and recovered by pushing his glasses up his nose. "Tomorrow, yeah." He then smiled sheepishly.

Elizabeth returned his smile. "And thanks for coming with me today. I had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about you . . . ahem, like your subtle strength."

Clark flushed as Charlotte snickered from behind her water bottle. "I had fun today as well. But too bad I missed out on seeing Superman."

She shrugged. "He's always around," she replied, missing the quick surprise that flickered in Clark's eyes before he crinkled them in a laughing smile.

"That he is." He turned to Charlotte and held out his hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Charlotte."

She shook his hand. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, since I'm an unofficial resident."

He nodded and then lightly ruffled Parker's hair. "And it was nice meeting you, Parker. I'm glad you got to meet your favorite superhero."

Parker grinned up at Clark. "Bye Clark! You're fun too! Thanks for winning that goldfish for me!"

After finally saying goodbye with a bid of seeing Elizabeth later, Clark waved and turned, blending into the crowd of fairgoers.

Elizabeth tracked him with her eyes with a smile ghosting her lips as she remembered how easy it was to be around him. It was comforting, yet tinged with that telltale attraction that kept hovering over the platonic feelings between them.

"So, this is Metropolis, huh?"

Elizabeth's eyes tracked Clark until he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. She smiled softly and took hold of Parker's hand. "This is it . . . home."


End file.
